


Waltz of the Unseelie Court

by NephChampion



Series: The Moon's Flash Princess [2]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Please don't copy this work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 222,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21527863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NephChampion/pseuds/NephChampion
Summary: SAO has been cleared. Now awake, Asuna and her husband Kirito, must figure out the mystery behind the three hundred still sleeping Players. Can they do it while also being thrust into the Shadow War that has been going on behind the scenes for the last nine years in the Real World?
Relationships: Dynamm/Tsukino Usagi, Kayaba Akihiko | Heathcliff/Koujiro Rinko, Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito & Kayaba Akihiko | Heathcliff, Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito & Kirigaya Suguha | Leafa, Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna, Tsuboi Ryoutarou | Klein/Hino Rei | Sailor Mars
Series: The Moon's Flash Princess [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1264718
Comments: 29
Kudos: 84





	1. The End of the Kingdom

There was a huge crash and a thunderous explosion, followed closely by the ground violently shaking and the ceiling collapsing. The silvery haired queen winced, barely able to stay standing where she was in front of her throne in the ballroom.  
  
Then, pandemonium.  
  
Glaring up to the ceiling, “I do not know why I’m surprised that there is now a hole there,” the queen muttered angrily to herself, the good cheer from her daughter’s birthday and engagement celebration evaporating faster than water in the Venusian desert. Who could be attacking? Why?  
  
She fought to keep the snarl from her face as she turned her gaze back to the gathering, everyone was screaming, and she could see Youma here and there in the crowd as everyone was attacked, even those in the Earth’s delegation. There was no reason to scare her guests more than they already were.  
  
Well, at least she didn’t have to worry about treachery from them. She knew that her daughter’s match to the Earth prince wasn’t widely approved of. She was glad that her dear Serenity had found love, it was just icing on the cake that the match was politically sound as well.  
  
Her eyes scanned the room, her daughter and Endymion were sheltered near her own position, she could defend them if need be, they were as safe as they could be, despite what was going on. Where were the Senshi then?  
  
Ah, there was Mars, evacuating the civilians, and there was Mercury, not far from her, fighting…Zoicite? Wasn’t Zoicite one of the Prince’s Guardians?  
  
Jupiter was fighting the Youma, and Venus was making her way over to where the queen was standing.  
  
“Majesty,” the girl gasped, “You need to evacuate.”  
  
The Queen shook her head, “No Venus,” she breathed, “Get my daughter out of here, I have… something to retrieve…” The queen’s tone darkened as her eyes narrowed.  
  
The blonde’s eyes widened, “You mean…?” She looked ready to protest, but held her tongue. Venus knew not to argue.  
  
The monarch nodded, turning with a twirl of her elegant silvery white ball gown, a shade or two away from her hair, and made her retreat into the depths of the palace. Time was running short.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Serenity bit her lip as she looked over the disaster her celebration had become, “Endy, we should leave.” This was not how she’d envisioned her night going, and to make matters worse, she’d left her rapier in the Barracks, which was too far away for her to retrieve. And even if she’s wanted to… She’d have to go through the attacking Youma to get to her weapon, which had been a gift from Heathcliff just last year.  
  
Serenity hated feeling so defenseless as she did now.  
  
“Yes,” he agreed, looking over the chaos and the Youma that were slowly closing in on them, “I think you’re right.”  
  
He stood and pulled his fiancée to her feet. Taking her hand, they began to run into the maze of the palace hallways. Endymion knew these passages well enough, having learned them during his trips here. He knew just the place to go.  
  
Perhaps they could pick up some swords or some other implement on the way.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Captain of the Royal Guard Heathcliff was barely winded as he found the two that he’d been searching for for the last half an hour, “Kizmel, Tilnel, I need you to both come with me.”  
  
Tilnel closed her book as Kizmel scooped up her sword and sheathed it, “What is it, Captain?”  
  
“We’ve been attacked, come with me.” He commanded them, not stopping in his pace.  
  
The sisters were out of their seats and running after him moments later. Together, the three navigated the long hallways. Every once in a while, Kizmel would have to fight a Youma, but it was a miracle that so few had penetrated this deeply into the palace.  
  
They weren’t about to question the few blessings this night was willing to give them.  
  
“Where are we going?” Tilnel asked, huffing and puffing as Heathcliff ushered the sisters down yet another hall. She really should have kept up with her Stamina training.  
  
“We are almost there,” The Captain of the Guard reassured them as they turned yet another corner. “Just a little farther.”  
  
Both Tilnel and Kizmel’s eyes widened when they saw the Hibernation Chambers.  
  
“Captain, you can’t,” Kizmel breathed.  
  
“We are losing, someone has to survive this and rebuild,” the silver haired man replied as he opened two of the chambers, white mist dispersing from both. “Who better than the Princess’s personal guard and her personal Physician?” He turned, placing his hands on Kizmel’s and Tilnel’s shoulders. “Serenity will need your familiar faces.”  
  
Kizmel bit her lip, still resistant to the idea as she watched her mentor herd her little sister into one of the pods. Still, she didn’t want to die, neither did she want her little sister to die.  
  
“I’m scared,” Tilnel whimpered, tears falling from her eyes as another explosion rocked the foundations of the palace. The Healer flinched, turning scared eyes to her older sister.  
  
Finally, Kizmel stepped forward, “We’ll still be together Tilnel,” she comforted her sister, “And, you know, maybe this won’t be for long.”  
  
She gave her sister a soft kiss on the forehead and stepped back. Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, the older Dark Elf turned, and with several long strides, got into the other pod. “We are ready Captain.”  
  
Tilnel swallowed thickly, and after another moment of indecision, Tilnel followed her sister and settled herself in the Hibernation Pod. “I’m ready, Captain.”  
  
He nodded, pressing another set of keys, closing both pods, “I’ll wake you when I get back.” He watched, knowing how likely it was that anyone would make it out of this alive. Once closed, the pods filled with the gas that would put them to sleep.  
  
He could leave no more to chance; his only mission now, was to find the Queen.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
When he got to the center of the Palace, one of the Princess’s favorite places, his heart fell, there, at the base of the steps was Venus, having bled out. It took all his training to keep the contents of his stomach in his stomach. Carefully stepping over what was left of her, he made his way to the top of the stairs and had to cover his mouth with one hand.  
  
Endymion was a few feet from the Princess, but Heathcliff couldn’t turn away. Why had she impaled herself?  
  
He shook his head and turned away, hurrying away from yet another scene of death.  
  
<<>>  
  
The Queen glared up into the dark shadow that was the thing that had attacked her home. “To think, that thing came from the sun,” she sighed, pulling the Moon Scepter from her pocket with one hand and held the Ginzuishou in the other.  
  
Carefully, with sure fingers, she placed the crystal on the Scepter. She put the thought of just where this monster came from out of her mind. “I don’t care what corner of hell that thing, Metalia, came from, but I’m sending it back, if I can. If not, well,” her eyes narrowed as a blast of energy almost hit where she stood, “Then it will be Serenity’s task to vanquish this abomination.”  
  
“Luna, Artemis,” she called, knowing that her advisers would hear her.  
  
“We’re here,” called the black cat, stalking out of some nearby wreckage, a white cat following close behind, “What do you need of us?”  
  
Both cats sat down at attention behind her.  
  
The queen didn’t say anything as she raised the wand in her hand, casting a shield spell, “I need you both to look after my daughter.”  
  
“We’ll do our best.” Luna said for them both.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Heathcliff cursed his age, what good does aged experience do if your body can't keep up anymore? Having finally made it to the queen’s side. A short chant, glowing runes encircled his body, augmented her shield spell with one of his own. “Majesty, are you alright?”  
  
The queen gave him a fond smile, “Now that you’re here,” she teased, her smile not making it to her eyes. “My daughter?”  
  
He shook his head, “I’m sorry.” He didn’t need to say anything else.  
  
“Then I suppose that leaves me no choice,” she growled, hefting the wand again. She could mourn the loss of her daughter later, if it was possible.  
  
“You can't mean?!” he knew what _that_ was, but he never thought that they’d actually have to implement it! She was going to die if she did that!  
  
The queen took a deep breath as her magic exploded outward; she directed it to the Ginzuishou, “Sealing Metalia and then using _that_ will most definitely kill me. But with my daughter already dead…” she took another deep breath, closing her sky blue eyes, not even trying to stop the tears. “I see no other option.”  
  
His expression twisted. Both he and his queen had hoped that this would never happen, and he watched with sad, hard eyes as his queen did her best to deal with their foe.  
  
A beam of energy lashed out, matching the queen’s magic, and she grit her teeth, pushing more of her power into the sealing spell.  
  
His eyes widened, “If you keep this up _that_ might kill you before you finish casting!”  
  
“That doesn’t matter anymore, there is no going back,” she replied, “There is nothing left.”  
  
He bit his lip, hating that he could not take this burden from the grieving mother. He had no choice but to let her do this. No choice but to watch. The loss of the Princess pained him as much as it did her and yet, he could do nothing.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
The queen’s legs buckled as she finished sealing Metalia and her minions. In her hands were seven colorful gems. “That’s done,” she panted as Heathcliff caught her, she’d have fallen to the ground had the Captain not caught her.  
  
“Are you sure you still want to go through with _that_?” he asked, tears in his eyes, “What about everyone that’s still alive?” The loss of his Queen would likely kill him inside, especially since her daughter was already dead.  
  
The queen smiled, “They will be able to keep everything going, until… _our daughter_ is found…”  
  
He grimaced, “You would really leave the Kingdom to me?” Why would she do that?  
  
“You’ll do a fine job dear,” she reassured him, weakly brushing the strands of hair that had come loose from his horse tail out of his eyes, “And when our dear one is found, you’ll be able to guide her, teach her, what she needs to know to rule.”  
  
“…Very well,” he agreed sadly, consigning himself to the long, lonely years that awaited him. “How will I know where to look?” The only light at the end of the long tunnel was that he was going to see his Princess again.  
  
“Our daughter and the Senshi of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter, will be born in the same general area,” She pulled herself up, using his armor, “Unfortunately, the seal will also be close to dissolving so the Youma sightings and magic will tell you where to look.”  
  
The seven crystals began to float around her and there was a brilliant white flash as the Queen began to chant, bubbles forming around all the people who died, and Heathcliff’s grip tightened on the Queen as her breathing became more and more shallow. He watched as they all headed to earth.  
  
And then, his greatest fear came to pass, in the middle of her chant, the queen went limp, her spell only half finished. Resigned, he lay her down on the pillar behind him and turned to leave. If he wanted to quiet the panic, he would have to work fast.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
What he saw as he was crossing the Asteroid Belt made his blood run cold and his heart freeze. What were Uranus, Neptune and Pluto _doing_? Didn’t they know that this would call _Saturn_?  
  
He covered his mouth in horror as a shorter young woman appeared her uniform in black. The _Bringer of Silence_ … he could do nothing but watch, as she brought the Silence Glaive up and then down, destroying what was left of their kingdom… or so he thought.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Kayaba Akihiko gasped as he sat in his bed, he rubbed his face with his hands, “That dream again,” he grumbled, getting out of bed and taking several steps to his window. With more vigor than he really felt, he flung open the curtains and let the light of a full, white moon stream into the room through the window. It looked so cold and dead now, nothing like the glittering jewel from his dreams.  
  
And then there was _that Castle_ … that castle, floating in the sky, with monsters and dragons and adventures. How long had he been dreaming of that wondrous place? That place where a sword could take you anywhere…  
  
Soon it wouldn’t matter, his project was almost finished. Soon, everyone would love that castle as much as he did… “Aincrad,” he breathed, turning to look at his workbench. The prototype for the _NerveGear_ , little more than a proof of concept really, was almost finished. The programming and necessary core development modules for Sword Art Online, that which would make his dream work, was not far behind. The rest, however, would take longer.  
  
Next to the prototype sat a seven year old picture. Akihiko sighed, picking it up. Absentmindedly, the twenty-six year old wiped what little dust there was on the glass away. It was the last picture he had of his whole family. There in that back was his grandfather, Kirigaya Kenshin, somehow still tall despite his age. On the left, were his parents Kayaba Yukito and Aoi, standing side by side, he himself sat in a chair with his baby brother, Kazuto in his lap in front of them. On the right stood Aunt Midori and Uncle Minetaka, little Suguha, who was maybe just under two years at the oldest in Aunt Midori’s arms. It had been taken a month before his brother’s third birthday, and three before the… _accident_ that had taken his parents and brother from him.  
  
His best estimates were that it would take two or three years to complete. Two or three years to build the simulated Aincrad. Two or three years before he could begin training the army that the Senshi, the _Princess_ , would need.  
  
His eyes narrowed, “Those attacks… It’s twenty nineteen, but where is she?” Where was that beautiful and kind, yet crazy girl that he loved as if she was his own?  
  
Even with the Senshi active, the Princess had not yet awakened, had yet to show up. And without her, the best anyone could hope for, was to simply hold back the darkness and hope that they could for long enough.  
  
But when it was all done with, he would join the Senshi, and he would do so at the head of an army. And then, he could… discuss his problems with their existence. _Seven years,_ he thought grimly. _It’s been seven years since my parents and my brother were killed by them. And for all that I want to act, I can’t act for now._ His eyes hardened. _But when it is time… there will be a reckoning._  
  
He would have Jadeite’s head for what he’d done! He would kill Jadeite himself, should the right situation arise that would allow for that to happen.  
  
His eyes turned back to the NerveGear Prototype. _Is it wrong that I am looking forward to the day the Alpha and Beta testing begins?_ He wondered before shaking his head. The Alpha testing was still at least a year out, never mind the beta testing stage. Still… he was looking forward to it…  
  
  


* * *

  
  
When was it that he’d started dreaming of that Castle in the Sky? Akihiko wondered as he sat at his computer, trying to code the system that would keep Sword Art Online running.  
  
His NerveGear had been a smash hit, just like he’d hoped it would be. The NerveGear was actually much more popular than he’d thought it would be. He had all the funding he needed to get any and all potential bugs out of the system. The Prototype was finished, he didn’t like that the battery was so big, but shrinking it would come later. As a Proof of Concept, it worked, and it worked well. Which was the most important part here. But the size of the battery was going to end up being a problem, he just knew it.  
  
He needed a name for his system, the rudimentary AI that would make human admins and moderators redundant. That Castle had had once had such a caretaker. But for the life of him, Kayaba Akihiko could not remember. The name started with a C right? Cardinal perhaps?  
  
That didn’t sound quite right, but at the same time, it was close enough that it didn’t bother him.  
  
Another year had come and gone, and still, the princess hadn’t been found.  
  


* * *

  
  
Heathcliff watched as the [Player] Kirito slowly started to come out of his shell, to give advice and to point out problems. There was something about the boy’s calm, quiet presence that just made him noticeable. Something in the boy’d demeanor made everyone around him want to listen when he spoke.  
  
Every time something went wrong in the [Boss Rooms] or anywhere else, Kirito would take command, and he seemed to have a talent for keeping people alive, which was something that would be needed when the game ended and they were all thrust into the ongoing conflict with the Dark Kingdom.  
  
His [Princess’] soldiers probably would not understand, but that was something that he would have to deal with later. He would likely have to explain what was going on to at least Kirito, as it looked like he would end up in charge. And the [Princess], if his simulation of Aincrad drew her in or not.  
  
It was the end of July two thousand twenty-two, and she still hadn’t been found… Why hadn’t she shown up as his Queen had promised? Could it be that because her spell was incomplete that her daughter hadn’t been reborn in the right time or place?


	2. Waking to a Wider World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up isn't easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ī viṣayadalli nimage yāvudē hēḷikeyilla - You have no say in this matter.
> 
> Nanna manas'su nannadu. Nanna ālōcanegaḷu nanna gurāṇigaḷāgive. Nanna kaṇṇugaḷu spaṣṭavāgive. Nānu rakṣisalpaṭṭiddēne. -My mind is my own. My thoughts are my shield. My eyes are clear. I am protected.

**November 7, 2024; RECT Progress: Virtual Reality Division**  
  
Sugou Nobuyuki was smiling to himself as he watched the three hundred not so randomly chosen test subjects were plucked from Sword Art Online’s server and were transferred to the top of Yggdrasil in Alfheim Online. His smile growing larger and larger until he noticed that one specific name, _the most important one_ , was missing from the list.  
  
Yuuki Asuna had not been caught in his web.  
  
It took everything he, Sugou Nobuyuki had, not to scream in rage.  
  
How could she have slipped the net?

* * *

  
  
**Undisclosed Location**  
  
After that… _illuminating_ conversation with his older brother, Commander Kirito found himself waking up in a hospital room. Pushing himself up, and finding himself utterly exhausted (despite the fact that he felt quite strong), and sat there for a good five minutes to get his breath back before pulling the _NerveGear_ off his head and looked around.  
  
Every free surface was covered in flowers and ‘Get Well’ cards. There was a privacy curtain, pulled closed currently, so he couldn’t see the door but something about the room seemed off. Was that a second bed closer to the window?  
  
Gently placing his _NerveGear_ to the side, he slid over to the side closest to the other bed and pushed himself to his feet. He hissed, almost immediately regretting doing so as his legs nearly buckled under the weight of his body. Not because they were emaciated, but from long disuse.  
  
But, Kirito decided, that didn’t matter. He needed to know who else was in this room with him. He paid no mind to the noise of his life support blaring in his ears as he stumbled across the room, only relaxing when he saw the stirring form of his wife, Asuna, waking up.  
  
“Asuna,” He breathed in relief, collapsing next to her on the other bed.  
  
“Kirito-kun, is that you?” Never had he heard such a sweet, sweet sound, “My ears are still shot.”  
  
He chuckled, reaching out; he helped her pull her _NerveGear_ off and gave her first real kiss.  
  
“Mmm,” She hummed, opening her eyes as he pulled away. “Yep, that’s Kirito-kun!”  
  
They both laughed happily as he pulled her into their first hug in the real world. The two top Players of Sword Art Online basked in the feeling of really being in each other’s arms, safe, in the real world.  
  
Because their visitors were silent, they didn’t notice the two Dark Elves at first. It also didn’t help that neither could really hear at the moment either.  
  
Their eyes snapped to the hidden door when they heard it slam, their eyes widening when they recognized one of the Dark Elves.  
  
“Kizmel?” Kirito croaked, causing his wife to fall into a fit of giggles. Kizmel was a real person?  
  
He shot his wife a sideways glare and gently pulled on a lock of her hair.  
  
Asuna just gave him an amused smile.  
  
The second Elf was busy looking at their charts. “Princess Asuna and Commander Kirito are not as bad as you feared, Sister, I can restore them to peak condition in three weeks tops.”  
  
Kirito’s eyes widened, “Tilnel?” He realized.  
  
Tilnel’s skin was a slightly lighter tone than her sister’s and her hair was a darker purple and longer, pulled into a tight French braid. She smiled, “Yes Commander. I am going to be the caretaker for both of you while you are here.”  
  
The sixteen-year-old nodded thoughtfully, “Brother suggested that we take up fencing and Kenjutsu to continue our training. When can that start?”  
  
Kizmel put her face in her hands. “I should be surprised, but I’m not,” she said with some resignation. “Why does that not surprise me?”  
  
“Kizmel, you’ve known my _Black Sun_ for two years now.” Asuna yelped when he pushed her in retaliation, “Kirito-kun!”  
  
He laughed when she pushed back, “As if you are any different, my _White Moon_.”  
  
Asuna blushed, “Make fun of me again and you’ll be back in your own bed,” She pulled him into a kiss.  
  
Tilnel’s smile grew wider and wider as she watched them interact. “If everything goes the way it should, you can start the last week of rehab. After you get out of here, I will be transferring to wherever your Headquarters is built. Because I am to be the army’s medic.”  
  
He nodded, yawning, “I think Asuna and I will be starting later,” he could feel his wife’s weight keenly against his shoulder, “We need some more rest.”  
  
“We’ll let you rest then.” Kizmel pulled Tilnel into a corner and they disappeared under Kizmel’s cloak, seeming to disappear from the room completely.  
  
Kirito sent the corner a jealous look before pulling his wife down to lie on the bed. She shifted, cuddling into his side and moments later, they were fast asleep.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Doctor Chiba Mamoru felt his nerves fraying; praying to whatever God would listen that his fiancée Mio would beat the odds and survive the Death Game Sword Art Online as he sat by her bedside. He was completely unprepared when she tried to sit up. “Mio-chan!”  
  
“Ugh, what is this on my head?” She asked. “I wasn’t wearing a helmet a few minutes ago. And why am I in a bed? Last I knew, the Commander was fighting Kayaba and had… wait a minute.”  
  
Mamoru paused as she shakily reached for the _NerveGear_ and pulled it off her head. It encountered some resistance from her hair. She gave it a firm pull, taking it off and having her hair spill around her. It was odd, seeing her with red hair that transitioned to black as it got further from the roots. She had dyed it since the Senshi became active as a safety precaution, thinking with no little justification that they were likely to shoot first, ask never if they saw her. But it had grown over the last two years and it wasn’t as if they could dye the hair covered by the _NerveGear_ , so it was dichromatic in nature now. She looked around, her eyes reaching Mamoru’s and she paused.  
  
“Ma- Mamoru-kun?” She asked. “What? How?” She looked around again. “I’m… where am I?”  
  
“You are in the hospital, Mio-chan, you have been for a long time.” Mamoru told her as he inspected her form. She didn’t look as bad as his training said she should. Her muscle tone was, if anything, better than what he remembered, but she had lost a lot of weight and body fat, nonetheless. Far less than his knowledge said she should have, but enough to make her muscles stand out in stark relief without the softening and rounding of her figure that the lost fat would have provided.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Student Nurse Mizuno Ami was checking her friend Urawa Ryu’s vitals when he suddenly sat up struggling for a moment.  
  
“That crazy Commander,” he muttered, pulling the Nerve Gear off and shaking his hair out, “I knew he could do it.” He gave Ami an almost crooked smile. “Hi Ami-chan.”  
  
Ami stared at him for a moment before she started giggling. “How do you feel, Ryu-kun?” she asked after getting ahold of herself.  
  
He ducked his head, “Mentally exhausted,” he shrugged weakly, “But I’ll take that over being trapped in that game any day.”  
  
Ami rubbed at her eyes, “I’m so glad you’re up.”  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Their next awakening was not so peaceful as their first. In fact, it was quite jarring.  
  
“Big Brother is awake!”  
  
Kirito bolted upright, throwing the covers over his wife’s still sleeping form, his right hand reaching over his shoulder to pull a sword that was no longer there. He blinked in confusion, “…Sugu?”  
  
“Good morning Big Brother,” she chirped brightly, even though it was actually in the afternoon. A moment later, she was hugging him rather tightly, so tightly that he could barely breathe.  
  
“Sugu, let Kazuto breathe!”  
  
Suguha scrambled off the bed and into one of the nearby chairs. “Sorry Ma.”  
  
Kirigaya Midori smiled as she gazed at her son, “We are all glad to see you up after so long.”  
  
“Mmm, Kirito-kun, what did she call you?” He turned to look down into his wife’s sleepy eyes.  
  
He leaned in, his mouth close to her ear. “Asuna, she called me Kazuto.”  
  
Asuna turned adorably sleepy eyes on him, “Kazuto? Why would she call Kirito-kun that?” She asked in confusion.  
  
Kirito blushed, how could his wife be so cute? “That’s… my name actually, Kazuto, Kirigaya Kazuto.”  
  
His wife blinked, “Kirigaya Kazuto?” then she giggled, “Nope! Kirito-kun is just Kirito-kun!”  
  
“Asuna…” he groaned, sending her a half playful glare.  
  
Asuna grinned before leaning in and kissing his nose, forgetting that his mother and sister were there, he pulled her into a real kiss.  
  
Asuna held onto him tightly, only letting go and pulling away when they were both desperately in need of air.  
  
Suguha shook her head as her phone began to ring. “Excuse me, but I need to take this.”  
  
“Don’t take too long, Sugu,” he called after her.  
  
“I won’t Big Brother,” his sister gave him a grin and slipped from the room.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
“This had better be good Kou!” Suguha hissed into her phone, “Kazu and Asuna are awake!”  
  
“They are?” he asked urgently, “Don’t let your mom leave. I’ll be right there. I was just picking up the rings we’d commissioned for them.”  
  
Suguha sighed in relief, glad that she didn’t have to hide her blush, “See you then.” She hung up, taking a deep breath to steady herself and return to her brother’s room.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Yuuki Kouichirou slipped into the jewelry store with a wide smile on his face, “Trust them to wake up the day the rings are ready.”  
  
A salesman walked up to him, “You are here for the rings?”  
  
Turning, Kouichirou saw that it was actually the store manager. “Yes sir.”  
  
This way then.” The manager gestured for Kouichirou to follow him.  
  
Kouichirou followed the short, greying man to the back counter where two, identical plain ring boxes were sitting innocently.  
  
Kouichirou picked up the box on the right and opened it, inside was a plain Platinum band. “And no engraving?”  
  
“No sir, if you don’t mind, may I ask why you didn’t want them engraved?” The man asked.  
  
Kouichirou smiled, “The rings are for my sister and her fiance, but they have both been caught in the Sword Art Online Incident. Besides, I’m sure that Asuna would rather have her words in her ring, not mine.”  
  
“They were going to play together?” the old manager asked.  
  
“Something like that,” Kouichirou shrugged, pulling out his credit card to pay for them.  
  
After paying, he slipped the ring boxes into a pocket and Kouichirou slipped his card away as he left the store.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Suguha slipped back into her brother’s room, “Ma, Kou said he’d be here with the rings soon, so you shouldn’t leave?”  
  
“You are too young for that, Sugu,” Kirito growled.  
  
Suguha blushed, “Oh no Big Brother, the rings are for you and Big Sis Asuna.”  
  
Asuna blinked, “Kirito-kun, did she just call me sister?”  
  
Kirito bit the inside of his lip, looking from his sister to his mother, “Mom?”  
  
Midori gave her son a smile, “Remember the stream you set up during the Beta?”  
  
He thought back, “Yes, I remember turning it off after the Beta was finished.” His shoulders slumped, “I only went through with it so that I could share with Sugu.”  
  
His wife perked up, “I watched Kou every chance I got. It was one of the reasons I asked to borrow his _NerveGear_ opening day.” She caressed the helmet at her side, leaning into his side. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”  
  
Kirito’s eyes widened, “Why?”  
  
“Because of you,” her amber eyes sparkled, “My life is not worth living without you in it, Kirito-kun.”  
  
And just when he thought that his wife could not get any more adorable, she just had to go and say something like that… “Asu-hime…” his face was so red he couldn’t look at anyone in the room.  
  
She kissed his cheek, “I love you forever.”  
  
A goofy grin developed on his face, “I love you too, Asuna.”  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Not five minutes later, Yuuki Kouichirou walked through the door of the shared hospital room.  
  
Suguha hopped off of her seat. “Kou, you said you have them?” She asked. Kouichirou pulled both boxes from an inner pocket, “Right here.”  
  
“…Kou?” He turned at the sound of Kirito’s voice.  
  
“Hello Commander glad to finally meet you in person.” Kouichirou grinned, “Thank you for protecting my little sister.”  
  
Kirito blushed, “My life belongs to her.”  
  
Kouichirou turned to his sister, “Asu-hime?” He asked with a grin.  
  
“Only Kirito-kun can call me that!” Asuna snapped.  
  
Kouichirou’s eyebrows reached his hairline, “I thought no one was allowed to call you that, Asuna?”  
  
“Things change Big Brother,” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Besides, you’re remembering wrong. I said: “Only the man I choose to marry can call me that”, and that’s Kirito-kun.” She leaned more heavily on the Commander’s shoulder, resting her head under his chin.  
  
Kouichirou became slightly concerned when the boy he respected covered a huge yawn. “Are you all right Commander?”  
  
“I overdid it earlier is all,” his free hand started petting Asuna’s hair, “There is a reason I’m not in my own bed.”  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Resident Doctor Chiba Mamoru knocked on the door to the only room with two patients.  
  
“Enter.” Came the muffled reply.  
  
For some reason, he had not been expecting a response. Shrugging, he opened the door and went inside. What he found surprised him quite a bit.  
  
Both patients seemed quite comfortable on one bed, the younger teen was dozing, his head in the girl’s lap.  
  
“What did you need, Sensei?” The girl asked, her free hand playing with a few strands of the boy’s hair.  
  
“It’s time for his checkup.” Mamoru replied after a moment of awkward silence.  
  
“Are you the one assigned to us?”  
  
Mamoru nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the boy’s voice, “Yes, Head Nurse Aki is my assistant.”  
  
“I see, where is she?” the boy asked, sitting up.  
  
“She’s on her way,” Mamoru reassured the teens.  
  
“Can we wait for her to get here then?” the boy asked curiously, his serious expression, though tired, gave Mamoru pause and he felt disinclined to say no.  
  
“We can wait.” Mamoru agreed, the girl (and wasn’t there something about her disturbingly familiar?) pulled the boy back down so that his head was once again resting in her lap.  
  
Soon the boy was back to dozing. With nothing better to do, the doctor went to computer next to the boy’s empty bed and turned it on. “Kirigaya Kazuto?” Mamoru asked as he perused the file.  
  
“Hmm?” the boy, Kazuto hummed, “What do you need, Sensei?” he asked, opening a single eye to look at the doctor.  
  
“You seem to be in better condition than one would think, considering the fact that you have been in a coma for two years.”  
  
Kazuto’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Can’t tell you that.”  
  
Mamoru sent the boy an annoyed look, “Can’t?”  
  
Kirito shook his head. “No, I can’t.” He sounded incredibly sleepy. “It’s not like Kayaba explained everything to us when he revealed himself as the one responsible.”  
  
Mamoru narrowed his eyes slightly, “I’m not sure I believe you.” _And I did my own checking, I know you’re Kayaba’s brother,_ he thought. _Damn it, you know something, I know you do. But what is it?_  
  
When Kazuto didn’t answer the doctor turned, only to find that the boy had fallen back asleep, or at least seemed to.  
  
The girl, (seriously, _who was she_?) had leaned back against the pillow, her eyes closed. Both teens seemed to be fast asleep.  
  
“Chiba-sensei,” the woman, Kazuto’s mother if he recalled, said. “They’ve had a trying day. Let them rest for a bit. At least until the nurse arrives and you can do their checkups.”  
  
Mamoru gave her a grudging nod. He knew that he had no reason, in their eyes, to be asking them any probing questions as to what went on inside SAO. They didn’t know that he was regularly involved in fighting against the Dark Kingdom, or that he knew that there was more to SAO than what met the eyes.  
  
Those who had more recently died in there were far too healthy, for one. Their bodies were still atrophied to some degree, but things like muscle tone and strength were far greater than they should be.  
  
Many of the patients who had awakened mentioned Aincrad, a place that he only dimly recalled from his memories of a previous life. Was SAO a virtual world representation of that place?  
  
If so, then chances were that Kayaba was a reincarnation were high. But even if that was the case, that didn’t explain what SAO actually _was_ , let alone just how so many of those who had been trapped inside came out in such good shape.  
  
What had Kayaba done? Or was it Heathcliff who managed to do it, using SAO to subvert Zoicite’s ploy? If so, he owed the man a drink when he found him, as well as a fist to the face.  
  
Who this girl, Asuna reminded him of, could wait.

* * *

  
  
**November 8: Undisclosed Location**  
  
While Tilnel helped Asuna with her work out, Kizmel dropped several thick manilla folders onto Kirito’s lap.  
  
“What’s this?” he asked, picking up one on top and thumbed through it.  
  
“Reports on how your army is recovering,” the older Dark Elf replied, “And your brother will be visiting later today.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Good, I need to talk to him,” he said. “Doctor Chiba may be polite about it, but he is asking questions I can’t answer. Not because I’m trying to keep them secret. But because I don’t know why Asuna-hime and I, let alone the others, are doing so well. I mean, granted, moving about or doing things we took for granted is going to be a chore for a while, at least until our bodies get used to being back in the physical world, but even I know that we should be a lot worse off than we are.”  
  
“You do look like you could use a good meal or two, though,” Kizmel noted.  
  
“I’m sure everyone does.” Kirito smirked, “And I’m sure we are all really hungry too. Aki’s amazing though, to have created Cardinal deliberately, and even Yui and Strea though that wasn’t quite so deliberate, when our technology isn’t quite there yet. He’s good at keeping secrets too.”  
  
He’d found out about his brother when he’d hacked into the deleted government files and had found out about his parents. He’d admired him for a long time, even when he’d been angry with the man that was nearly twenty years his senior. Aki was also very good at keeping secrets. “I still have a few questions to ask Aki anyway, and I’m sure Asuna-hime does too.” Kirito smiled.  
  
His head snapped up when he heard his wife whimper slightly, “Tilnel, that _hurts_!” Asuna complained.  
  
“That just means that it’s working, Princess,” Tilnel said in a voice that sounded way too cheerful.  
  
“Quit calling me that!” Asuna squawked.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Tsukino Usagi pushed herself up with a great deal of effort, though she was sure that it wasn’t as great as it should have been. She hissed as all her joints seemed to pop back into place. “…I’m not Luna anymore,” she breathed, wincing at how bad her voice still sounded from disuse.  
  
As Luna, she’d been strong, fast, an expert short sword and dagger user like her friend Silica, now of the Divine Dragon Alliance. Here, she was just Usagi, the lazy, if cheerful girl who just wasn’t interested in school.  
  
She sighed, stretching, “…I’d rather be crafting accessories…” She remembered taking her _NerveGear_ off, it hadn’t taken as much effort as she knew it should have. After removing it, she had lain back down and had gone to sleep.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Kinomoto Sakura, known as Sasha in Sword Art Online, yawned as she opened her eyes.  
  
“Good morning Sakura.” A voice came from her left as she sat up. Turning, she saw that it was her fiancé, Syaoran.  
  
“Good Morning, Syaoran,” She replied with a grin. “Part of me still can’t believe that the game ended early. Not that I didn’t think that Commander Kirito and Asuna-sama couldn’t do it.”  
  
“Who is Commander Kirito again?” Syaoran asked with a smile. He was just glad that he had his wife back.  
  
“Commander Kirito was one of the leaders of the Clearers.” Sakura told him again.  
  
“Well then, I’ll have to thank him for freeing you if I ever see him.” Syaoran replied thoughtfully, “And I owe him a drink.”  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Ayano Keiko, known as Silica to all her friends in Sword Art Online, lay motionless on her bed, she hadn’t woken up with the rest of her Party on the sixty-ninth floor.  
  
Ayano Tetsuhiko hadn’t had a wink of sleep since he’d heard that almost every other Player had woken up. He didn’t know what to do.  
  


* * *

****  
  
Yamashiro Sumire, Spymaster Argo, shot upright, panting heavily in panicked surprise. The last thing she remembered doing yesterday, before the world went white was that she’d been putting the latest of the information for that quest together for Kii-bou, and the next, she was waking up here.  
  
Looking left then right as her breathing calmed and slowed, she remembered how… _easy_ it had been to pull her _NerveGear_ off of her head. It _should_ have been much harder to take off. So why had it been _so easy_?  
  
Sumire still didn’t understand why they were all awake, “Kiio-bou said that they were going to Clear Floor Seventy-Five yesterday, so how come we all woke up?” her still partly blind eyes narrowed, “Why was the game Cleared twenty-five floors early?”  
  
The question was going to bother her until she could get an answer out of Kii-bou, she just knew it.  
  


* * *

****  
  
Kirito looked up from what had to be the hundredth report he’d looked through when he heard a knock on the door. “Enter.” He called, placing a hand on his resting wife’s side.  
  
She opened a single eye and smiled up at him, her head resting against his thigh.  
  
The door opened to reveal an older man with grey eyes and brown hair. “Good afternoon, Asuna-kun, Kazu.”  
  
“Afternoon, Aki,” Kirito grinned, “How can we help you?”  
  
Kayaba Akihiko grimaced, “Have you noticed a pattern in the reports yet?”  
  
Kirito frowned, “As far as I can tell, there _is_ no pattern. Of the hundred I’ve had a chance to look at fifteen people haven’t woken up yet.”  
  
“So far, it’s not anyone we personally knew either.” Asuna added pausing, “At least, not yet…”  
  
The sixteen-year-old sighed, “I’ve recognized a few names from the DDA, ALF and even the KoB, but as Asuna-hime said,” Kirito shook his head, “No one we knew on sight, Lind and Kibaou are not going to be happy, not to mention Thinker.”  
  
Akihiko nodded, “That people aren’t waking is bad, that there’s no apparent pattern just makes it worse.” He sighed, pulling his fingers through his brown hair. “I’ll have Cardinal-chan look into it while you both are recovering.”  
  
Kirito blew out a breath, “It’s terrible to say, but let’s hope that all our friends woke up.”  
  
Akihiko chuckled, ruffling his brother’s hair as he stood up from his seat, “Be careful alright, take care of each other.”  
  
“Don’t worry, we will,” Kirito blushed as he tried to put his hair back in order.

* * *

  
  
**November 9**  
  
The next day, while Kirito was suffering through physical therapy silently, a couple he didn’t know came through the closed door. Not stopping what he was doing, he kept track of them as they came to a stop by his wife’s empty bed.  
  
He smirked, feeling her lean heavily against his back as she read Klein’s progress report.  
  
“Dear,” They both looked up at the woman’s tone of voice. “Where is our daughter?”  
  
Kirito looked over his shoulder when he heard his wife sigh, “Asu-hime?”  
  
“Just let me handle it, please, Kirito-kun?” She whispered.  
  
Kirito took a moment to think about it, “Alright.”  
  
Asuna gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek before calling her parents over, “Mother, I’m on the other bed.”  
  
Kirito noted that her mother did not look too pleased that his Asu-hime was in his bed with him. He stiffened his back to take her weight more easily as she settled herself.  
  
“Asuna, you should be in your own bed resting,” her mother hissed.  
  
“And why can’t I sit here mother?” she had yet to put the report down, “It’s nice, and Kirito-kun makes a very warm pillow.”  
  
Kirito blushed brightly, “Asuna-hime!” He hissed, tugging lightly on a lock of her hair. “Do you _want_ your mother to _kill_ me?”  
  
“She won’t because Kou likes you,” she smirked.  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes as Asuna started chatting with her parents.

* * *

  
  
**November 30**  
  
All the all doctors were astounded by how quickly Kirito and Asuna had recovered from their comas. After just three weeks, they were both ready to go home.  
  
“I’ve been dreading heading home.” Asuna admitted.  
  
Kirito looked down, “i know, so have I.” He pulled her close, “We’ve been snuggling in our sleep for so long…”  
  
She nodded, leaning against him heavily, “Being alone again is going to be so hard,” She wrapped arms of steel around his middle. “Please don’t leave me alone, Kirito-kun…”  
  
“Never.” He vowed, reaching up to brush hair out of her tear filled eyes.  
  
Before leaving, they made a quick detour, to visit Beryl and Persephone. Beryl was closer, so they went to see her first. What they found, they weren’t expecting.  
  


* * *

****  
  
Mio looked up when there was a knock, looking to her fiancé, there was no help, Mamoru simply gave her a shrug. “Come in.” She finally called, “What is it?”  
  
“It’s us Beryl,” called a girl’s voice as the door opened.  
  
Mio’s eyes widened as she recognized both of her visitors, her smile widened. “Asuna, Commander, how nice to see you again!”  
  
Asuna’s gentle smile was bright as she gave Kirito, her husband and Commander of her army a kiss on the cheek as she stepped passed him into the room. “Thank you, Kirito-kun.”  
  
The smirk on his face was one that Mio was very familiar with. “You know me, Asu-hime, when have I ever not been a perfect gentleman?”  
  
Asuna laughed and as she moved to Mio noticed that there was something hanging around Asuna’s neck. “What’s that around your neck, Flash-sama?” Mio asked teasingly.  
  
Asuna sent her friend a glare, “I thought everyone knew not to call me that…”  
  
Kirito chuckled, slinging an arm around her shoulders, “You know we love you, my _White Moon Princess_.”  
  
Asuna’s face went bright red but she didn’t say anything. She smacked his shoulder instead.  
  
“You are so hard on me, my lady.” The Commander pretended to whine.  
  
“Deal with it, Kirito-kun.” Asuna purred.  
  
Mio’s smile widened as she watched her two younger friends tease each other.  
  
“Did they forget we are here?” Mamoru asked quietly.  
  
Mio shook her head, “Just wait.”  
  
Mamoru gave her a dubious look but turned to watch the bickering couple. He had no idea _how_ they’d recovered so fast, but he wanted to, so that he could use the method on his fiancée.  
  
Finally, Asuna turned, noticing Mio’s now dichromatic red and black hair. “Beryl, what did you do to your hair?”  
  
Mio grinned, “Do you like it?”  
  
Kirito took a moment to study her hair, “Actually, I think you look better with Red and Black hair.”  
  
Mio gave him a bright smile, “Thank you, Commander.”  
  
“Why is it black at the tips?” Asuna asked curiously.  
  
Mio started playing with her hair. “It’s because of how much I look like… _Her_.” She explained, “I had this exact shade of red in my past life too. So Mamoru and I decided that I should dye it, to make sure that your Senshi didn’t attack me on accident.”  
  
“You used to have red eyes too, right?” Kirito asked, sitting down on one of the seats.  
  
“Well, yes,” Mio agreed, “Kayaba did a very good job of making the special NPCs look the way we used to.”  
  
“I don’t think there should be a problem though.” Kirito smirked, “Your eyes are _green_ Beryl-chan.”  
  
Mio noticed Mamoru giving both of them looks, well, more looks toward Asuna, which the two of them were ignoring. She would explain after they left. He didn’t have to worry about _this_ Princess pining after him.

* * *

  
  
Half an hour later, the couple said goodbye to Beryl and made their way to Persephone’s room.  
  
Persephone looked up from the biology book she’d been reading, these would be her first visitors since waking up. “Come in,” she called, marking her place and closing the book.  
  
She smiled widely when she saw who had come to visit her. “Good morning Commander, Princess.”  
  
Asuna sent Persephone a playful glare, “Why do you keep calling me that?”  
  
“Because you are?” Persephone asked with her most innocent smile on her face.  
  
“She has a point, Asuna-hime,” Kirito smirked.  
  
Asuna rolled her eyes, “You think that’s funny do you?” She gave her husband a flat look as she plopped down on the bed next to Persephone.  
  
Kirito chuckled from where he was leaning against the door frame. “Why are you complaining? I had to endure being called Commander, even before I was one. And I _still_ don’t like being called that…”  
  
Persephone felt her heart swell as she watched her two best friends bicker back and forth. She had never been so happy in her life.  
  
 ****

* * *

  
  
Finally, Kirito and Asuna made it to the ground floor where separate rides were waiting to take them home.  
  
“Will I see you tomorrow?” Asuna asked, not making any move towards the door. She looked up imploringly into his eyes. Her insecurity once again rearing its ugly head.  
  
Used to it by now, Kirito simply pulled her closer, “Yes you will.” He smiled, “We might be out, but we’ll still have rehab, it will probably be another few months before we will be able to handle a normal day without tiring.” He started combing his fingers through her hair, it was even silkier out here in the _Real World_ , than it had been in game. “Brother has made sure that they won’t separate us.”  
  
“Thank the Queens of Old,” She muttered, letting her head rest against his chest, sound of his beating heart had to be her new favorite sound.  
  
Just as the sound of her heartbeat was his.

* * *

  
  
**Nishitokyo: Akihiko Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
Kayaba Akihiko sighed as he booted up the computer he’d set up for Cardinal, three hundred people hadn’t woken up. After everything he’d done to keep them alive, this happens. He was not about to be some moron’s _Fall Guy_!

* * *

  
  
**Between Pluto and Charon: Undisclosed Location**  
  
Setsuna cursed as she watched her Princess and Consort go in different directions. “They just got done with an ordeal that would have broken lesser men and women,” she said. “And they are being separated, which is not good. It is not good at all. We need both of them in top form as soon as possible, which will take too long if they remain separate.” She looked thoughtful. “I will have to find a way to move one or both of them.”  
  
The Princess’ mother wasn’t the most agreeable of people… “Perhaps I should speak to Captain Heathcliff about this…”  
  
She sighed.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kazuto sighed as he slowly got out of the car and looked around the yard. “Not much has changed in two years…” But he knew the truth, his home hadn’t changed, he had. The house didn’t feel like home anymore.  
  
He pulled the _NerveGear_ off the middle seat, and blinked when he saw an older man waiting by the front door. Taking a deep breath, he traversed the yard. “Hello, Grandfather.”  
  
“Good to see you alive, Kazuto,” his Grandfather had always been formal with him, no matter how close they were.  
  
He smiled at the irony, “It’s good to be alive, Grandfather.” He leaned tiredly into the man’s side. “It’s good to finally be home.”  
  
Kirigaya Kenshin wrapped an arm around his grandson and helped Kazuto into the house. “Why did you keep the _NerveGear_?”  
  
“I’ll show you when I’ve got more energy,” Kazuto gave his grandfather a tired smile, “I may be out, but I’m not up for a regular day yet.”

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Yuuki Residence**  
  
Asuna leaned into her older brother’s side yawning, “Sleeping is not going to be fun.” she mumbled sleepily.  
  
Kyouko, her mother, frowned, “Because of that boy?”  
  
Kouichirou sent his mother a glare, “Because she’s not used to sleeping _alone_ mother.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “Not having Kirito-kun is also going to suck,” She absentmindedly caressed the _NerveGear_ in her lap. “He made the best pillow…”  
  
Her mother’s face reddened, twisting in anger, “I don’t want you to see him again!”  
  
Asuna opened her eyes to glare at her mother through the rearview mirror. Next to her, Kouichirou winced as he felt some kind of pressure building up. A pressure he could swear he recognized.  
  
“ _Ī viṣayadalli nimage yāvudē hēḷikeyilla_ ,” she said quietly. Her hand closed around the Crystal hanging from her necklace.

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito sat heavily in the desk chair in his room. Placing his _NerveGear_ to one side, he turned his computer on. “Do I have any programs that would allow me to create a virtual space?”  
  
Well, if he didn’t, he could either write one himself, which would take he wasn’t sure how long or he could buy one. He reached down and opened the third drawer of his desk, pulling out the cable he used to set up the Stream during the Beta. Opening a slot on his _NerveGear_ and plugged one end of the cable into it before plugging the other end into his computer.  
  
Setting his computer to search for any programs already installed that could create the space he needed, he covered a yawn. Kazuto turned to his bed with its spartan sheets. It did not look inviting.  
  
He couldn’t avoid it anymore, “this house…” he allowed himself to slump his shoulders and lean back into the comfortable chair. “It doesn’t feel like home anymore.”  
  
Home wasn’t a place anymore. Home, home was a person. “Why did we let them do this?” he got up, stumbled, then landed on his bed with something that sounded halfway between a thump and a loud crash. “Why did we let them separate us, Asuna-hime?”  
  
After a moment of silence, he shook his head, rolling over to look up the ceiling, “Why am I even expecting a reply?” Kirito wondered, pulling the curtains open a moment later, he let his arm fall onto his pillow, “I don’t want to be alone…”

* * *

**Yuuki Residence**  
  
Asuna dragged herself into her room, feeling very out of place in a way she’d never experience before. She missed their cabin in the woods on the twenty-second floor and their daughters now more than ever. “I never realized just how… excessive all this is.” She cringed just thinking about it as she placed her _NerveGear_ on her bedside table. As neat as her new electronic closet was, she didn’t need or even _want_ it. She would much rather have kept the walk-in she’d had when she was first trapped.  
  
“I want…” She paused taking another look around. The room looked almost alien to her eyes now, after learning to appreciate the simpler things in life from Kirito; she found that she just could not stand this ultra-fancy place. She let herself fall onto the new (even bigger) bed. Now a California King, it was the only thing she currently wanted to keep. There was enough room for four adults to sleep comfortably with space to spare. For a moment, Asuna entertained the fantasy of curling up with Kirito and the kids on it for several hours. Queens of Old knew how much of a snuggler Strea was.  
  
Pulling off her slippers, she lay down on the bed, a fond smile on her face as she rolled over, her eyes landing on her _NerveGear_. She sighed, “I miss my daughters, I miss Kirito-kun too.”  
  
She rolled over to look out the window.  
  
Miles apart, Kirito and Asuna fell into fitful sleeps.

* * *

**Alfheim Online: Crest of Yggdrasil**  
  
Silica felt rather annoyed. She was not sure how long she’d been here, but she knew for a fact that she wasn’t in [Sword Art Online] anymore. She could sense Pina’s hunger, though she wasn’t sure how. “Don’t worry Pina, I’m make sure to feed you as soon as we get out,”  
  
Just as soon as she figured it out that is. She felt Pina purr in response. Silica almost could not get over how weird this felt. She hadn’t had this deep of a connection with Pina before. It was almost as if she could actually understand what Pina was telling her when she had to guess more times than not before arriving… wherever here was. Not that what Pina told her came through as words… more feelings.  
  
Then she sensed something change, a pressure on her mind. Thoughts that weren’t her own, telling her to think and feel a certain way, they were entering her mind. No, she wouldn’t let them take control. She focused herself and as the pressure of the foreign thoughts increased. What was it that Yuuna once said she found in SAO’s lore? A mantra that was used to block out foreign influences. What was it again? It was in Lunarian, if she recalled, which wasn’t a language that was her strongest skill. She knew more than the basics, her friendship with Yuuna ensured that, if only so she could understand what SAO’s budding [Loremaster] was talking about, not to mention the lyrics to her music. She knew she had been told it, and her mind was her own, damn it!  
  
Wait, that was it! “ _Nanna manas'su nannadu,_ ” she said, focusing on the words and their meanings. “ _Nanna ālōcanegaḷu nanna gurāṇigaḷāgive. Nanna kaṇṇugaḷu spaṣṭavāgive. Nānu rakṣisalpaṭṭiddēne._ ” She kept repeating the words, focusing on them, focusing her thoughts. After a while, the pressure eased, and the foreign thoughts were gone.  
  
What was going on?  
  


* * *

****  
  
“Odd, it seemed as if it was going to take, then it failed,” Shouichi said to himself as he used the tentacles his avatar had to manipulate the interface. “Is the subject conscious and aware? Impossible, we made sure that all of them were in a REM cycle. Perhaps I should move to another subject. Not everything takes with all of them and we’re finding new things out with each test and experiment.”  
  
He moved to the next tank and console and began the experiment again. This time, it took, so he wondered if it was simply the differences that were inherent with individual minds. He looked at the EEG and saw that the subject’s thought patterns had risen from their Delta waves, indicating dreaming, to Theta waves while the experiment went on, before transitioning back to Delta. The subject had been briefly conscious, as was expected, but in the state where any meaningful recall would not happen. But the Delta waves were reflecting the changes that he had eased into the subject’s mind.  
  
Had he bothered to check the EEG of the previous one, he would have noticed that the brainwaves had never gone into Delta, reflecting an unconscious and dreaming state, but had been giving off Theta waves. As the experiment began, they had immediately gone into a high activity Beta wave state until it ended. And if he were to look at it now, he would have seen that they were in the Alpha wave state.  
  
The subject, known only to him as Subject 053, but if he had asked it would have told him that it was a girl and preferred to be called Silica, was conscious and aware. And right now, she was thinking on just what was going on.


	3. The Calm Before The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no way around an unhealthy codependency... yet.

**Between Pluto and Charon: Undisclosed Location**  
  
Senshi Pluto glared into the _Time Gates_ , “Those…” She sighed, every timeline said that her Princess and her Consort would have a hard time settling into a new routine apart, if they even could. “I’m honestly surprised that they let themselves be separated.”  
  
There had to be something she could do to fix this.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito groaned in his sleep, in the throes of a nightmare. He was again, seeing the Laughing Coffin Raid, and his killing of those two Players. He’d already woken up three times.  
  
He woke for the fourth time that night, panting slowly. He rubbed his face with both hands tiredly and sighed. “Damn… Why can’t I sleep?” his asked his quiet bedroom.  
  
“Because Asuna isn’t here.”  
  
Kirito turned abruptly and he winced, reaching up to rub his neck. “Ow, damn it Pluto!” he grumbled in pain.  
  
Pluto chuckled, “Why thank you, Commander,” she teased. Then she turned serious. “Why did you not insist that you needed to stay with our Princess?”  
  
Kirito bowed his head, “I didn’t think we’d need to.” He admitted, “But if I’m having this much trouble sleeping…”  
  
“I can take you to her.” Pluto offered  
  
“Do it.” Kirito ordered, not even taking a moment to think about it.  
  
Pluto smiled.

* * *

  
  
**December 1, 2024: Yuuki Residence**  
  
Asuna was tossing and turning when Kirito arrived in her room via Pluto Express. Kirito looked around in awe as Pluto left. His Princess’ room was much larger than his, but it was something he’d been expecting.  
  
He made sure that her bedroom door was locked, and checked to make sure that her window was also. He set his overnight bag in easy view on one of her dressers and set down the two shinai he’d grabbed and leaned them against the huge bed within easy reach And, since he was still in his pajamas, he pulled the covers back and joined his wife in bed.  
  
She rolled in her sleep and finally settled when her hand found his arm. Within a few moments, she was using his chest as a pillow, curled into his side.  
  
Kirito smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist as he fell back to sleep himself.  
  


* * *

  
Kirito’s eyes snapped open when someone started banging on his wife’s bedroom door. He rolled out of bed and grabbed both the Shinai, bringing both of them up as there was a quiet click of the lock opening.  
  
Asuna sat up, clutching the covers to her chest. looking around. “Kirito-kun, what?”  
  
Kirito frowned, his feet sliding just slightly farther apart as Asuna’s mother was revealed. He growled, “Do you know how badly we could have hurt you had I not made sure the door was locked?”  
  
“You!” Kyouko shouted, “How did you get here?”  
  
“A way that you won’t ever be able to block.” Kirito replied in a quiet tone of voice that he was sure Asuna recognized, “I was making sure that my-- fiancée gets her sleep.” He hadn’t moved an inch since the door had opened, “Never, _ever_ , startle us again.”  
  
Kyouko opened her mouth, probably to tell him to get out, but Asuna spoke first. “Mother, get out.”  
  
When Kyouko’s attention switched to her daughter, Kirito took his chance to close the door, locking it. “Pack up, Asuna-hime.”  
  
Asuna let the covers drop, “When did you get here?” Her nightgown showed a lot of skin.  
  
Kirito took a moment to appreciate the view before his eyes met hers. “Late.” He shook his head, “Pluto brought me here. She is of the opinion that we should not have let ourselves be separated.”  
  
“I’m glad she brought you here.” Asuna sighed. “Why did we decide to let them separate us?”  
  
Kirito shook his head as he sat down, “I don’t know.” He smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “But it can’t stay this way, so, pack an overnight bag. Then we’ll be on our way.”  
  
She nodded, “Alright.” She slipped out of his grasp and grimaced as the closet opened on its own. “I hate this closet…”  
  
Kirito chuckled as he picked up the bag he’d brought and unzipped it. “Do you have…?”  
  
Asuna pointed to the door in the corner. “My bathroom is through there. If you are willing to wait, I’ll join you, Kirito-kun.”  
  
Kirito slid the strap of his duffle over his shoulder and gave her cheek a kiss before heading to her bathroom.  
  


* * *

  
Kirito looked up when he heard the door open, close, and then lock. He couldn’t see through the steam but he knew it had to be his wife. He smiled when he heard cloth hit the tiled floor. “Wash my back?” he asked teasingly.  
  
“Are you sure that’s _all_ you want me to wash?” Asuna enquired, her eyes shining in amusement, as she appeared out of the steam.  
  
Kirito wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as she leaned in for a kiss. “You can wash any part of me that you want.”  
  
She giggled, taking the shampoo he’d brought. “Done your hair yet?”  
  
“You know I always do it last.” He watched as she squeezed a fair amount onto her hand and put the bottle back onto the floor, rubbing the shampoo between her hands.  
  
She chuckled as she began to lather his hair. “I miss doing this with our girls.”  
  
“As do I,” Kirito agreed, closing his eyes, “But I don’t think we should Dive back into VR just yet.”  
  
Asuna took a deep breath as he handed her the sponge. “You’re right, we need to get used to not being in a game before finding a new one.” She squeezed the excess water from the loofah and began to work the soap into her husband’s skin. “I missed you more than I should have after…”  
  
Kirito hummed in agreement, “There is also the fact that we have to figure out where the Three Hundred Sleepers are.” He replied, he too hadn’t even realized how tense he’d been until Asuna had begun to wash his back. “You give the best massages, Asuna-hime.”  
  
Asuna chuckled, “I would say the same about you, Kirito-kun.” She kissed his cheek as she finished washing his back. She picked up the shower head and started rinsing the lather out of his hair.  
  
“I suppose,” Kirito agreed, running his fingers through his hair to get all the tangles out.  
  
Asuna leaned in to steal another kiss.  
  


* * *

  
Asuna finished packing her overnight bag half an hour later. “That should be enough to last me for a while,” she zipped it shut. She took the shinai that Kirito held out for her to take, “I’m ready to go now.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Alright then, we’ll be leaving soon.” He held out the clothes she’d set out for the day and helped her dress.  
  
Asuna gave him a smile. “Shall we go on our first date?”  
  
“You know this is not our first date…” A smirk spread across her husband’s face, “Where would you like to go?”  
  


* * *

  
They had a far easier time slipping out of Asuna’s house than either thought it should have. Kirito took her hand and let her take the lead. It didn’t take them long to leave the neighborhood.  
  
Asuna and Kirito didn’t notice a black cat following them. They both were glad to have the looped belts that Pluto had given them to use. The shinai Kirito had brought with him at their sides. They held hands, fingers intertwined. Sharing soft smiles as they made their way to the cafe their friend Agil owned.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Downtown**  
  
There was the soft sound of a bell chime as the door opened, “Hey Kathy.”  
  
The bartender looked up, “Morning Kyouji.” She got started on his usual. “How is your brother doing, better, I hope?”  
  
“He’s doing much better,” Kyouji smiled. “We’re hoping that he’ll be ready to come home next month.” As he sat down, the door opened again.  
  
“Welcome to the _Dicey Cafe_ ,” Kathy called. “Have a seat and I’ll be with you in a moment.” She didn’t look up since she knew the establishment was unusually empty this morning.  
  
The “Thank you Madam Mills,” caused both Kathy and Kyouji to look up.  
  
The dark haired young man was holding the door open for a young woman. Both were around Kyouji’s age. Seeing the shinai at their hips was a bit odd, but Kathy wasn’t about to ask.  
  
Kathy placed Kyouji’s coffee in front of the boy and stuck her head into the kitchen to let the cooks know he was there. Then, Kathy made her way over to the two new customers to serve them herself.  
  
She watched as the boy led his female companion to a table where they could see the entire cafe, and pull out a chair for her. Taking the cue, Kathy walked over. “Can I help you?”  
  
“Can we have the breakfast menu please?” the young lady asked. “We haven’t eaten yet.”  
  
Kathy gave them two. “Would you like some tea? Coffee?”  
  
Kathy recognized the look the two shared between them, it was one she often shared with Andrew. It was one that conveyed an entire conversation.  
  
The boy gave a nod and turned to her, “We would like the strongest black tea you have please.”  
  
Kathy nodded, “I’ll give you a minute to peruse the menu.”  
  
“Thank you Madam Mills.” The girl gave Kathy a cheerful smile. “Agil was always singing your praises, when we could get him on the subject.”  
  
“Usually that didn’t happen,” the boy agreed.  
  
Kathy turned back to them. ‘ _Wait, what?_ ’ she wondered.  
  
The boy chuckled, “Agil started talking about his beloved Kathy when we let him run our Inn on the thirteenth floor. Remember, Asuna. He mentioned that he owned a bar and cafe.” He turned to Kathy and met her gaze, “Agil should be ready to return to you by the end of the week.”  
  
Kathy’s eyes widened. “Well… thank you…” She couldn’t help blushing, Andrew’s praise always did that to her. “Uh, what are your names?”  
  
“I’m Kirito,” The boy replied, gesturing to the girl across from him. “And this is my fiancée, Asuna, but everyone calls her Princess -- Ow!”  
  
Asuna was giving Kirito a narrowed-eyed look, “You know how much I hate being called that!”  
  
“It’s your own fault for using your real name as your Handle, my Asuna-hime.” Kirito replied playfully. “Maybe in the next game we play, you’ll remember not to. You didn’t have to kick me.” He gave her a playful pout.  
  
“Well then, maybe if you would learn not to call me that then I would stop…” Asuna smirked suggestively.  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes, going back to his menu. “Say, Asuna-hime, what do you say to having a Western Style breakfast?”  
  
Asuna hummed for a moment. “That actually sounds like a wonderful idea.”  
  
Kirito turned back to Kathy, “Two Steak and Egg Breakfasts please.”  
  
“How would you like the eggs cooked?” Kathy asked, not asking them if they were sure about it due to the price. Decent meat for a steak was expensive in Japan, but if they ordered it, they were confident that they could afford it.  
  
”I prefer over easy and Asuna likes the omelet style.” Kirito replied.  
  
“And the bread for the toast?” Kathy prompted.  
  
“White for us both.” Kirito said, meeting Asuna’s eyes for a moment.  
  
Kathy nodded, “Alright, breakfast will be out in a few minutes.”  
  
“Thank you Madam Mills.” Kirito gave her a charming smile.  
  
“Such a charmer,” Kathy teased, heading to the kitchen.  
  


* * *

  
“So…” Kirito turned his attention back to his wife. “What shall we do? I don’t think we ever decided.”  
  
“We didn’t.” Asuna agreed, “I would like to see your home, actually. And I’d like to meet this Grandfather that you told me so much about.”  
  
Kirito smirked, “Alright, that’s what we’ll do then.” He sat back, his eyes traveling over the rest of the establishment. Upon seeing Agil’s Battle Axe from Sword Art Online, he relaxed. Then he sat up straight, his eyes widening. “Asuna, look behind the bar, isn’t that Agil’s Two Handed Battle Axe from Sword Art Online?”  
  
Asuna’s gaze followed his, “Yes, yes it certainly _looks_ like his axe…” She frowned, “I thought it was just a Game Object so… What is it doing here?”  
  
Kirito nodded silently, turning his attention to Kathy, as the woman came out of the kitchen with several plates laden with identical spreads. “Looks like we are about to get breakfast.”  
  
He made a note to ask Agil about it at a later time.  
  


* * *

  
Half an hour later, Kirito and Asuna left the _Dicey Cafe_. “Thank you, Madam Mills, breakfast was delightful.” Kirito told his friend’s wife. “We will certainly be coming back on any future dates.”  
  
“Come back any time, Kirito, Asuna.” Kathy replied with a wave.  
  
Kirito held the door open for his wife, giving Kathy a friendly wave in return as he followed his wife out of the building.  
  
Asuna leaned into Kirito’s side, sighing happily. “That was delicious.”  
  
“Mhm,” Kirito hummed in agreement as he pulled out his new phone. He opened the GPS App to figure out how to get back to his house. A slight movement in his peripheral vision brought his attention back to their surroundings.  
  
“What is it?” Asuna asked quietly following his gaze.  
  
Kirito held up a finger, eyes following a black cat. His posture changed as he snuck up on the feline.  
  
The black cat almost screeched in surprise as she was scooped up from behind. The cat looked up when Kirito started speaking.  
  
“Aren’t you gorgeous?” He asked, his arms adjusting so that he was holding her properly. Kirito returned to Asuna’s side, “This pretty girl caught my eye.”  
  
Asuna took the cat. “Of course you think she’s pretty.” She rolled her eyes, “She’s black.” Her eyes narrowed at him, “Prettier than me, Kirito-kun?”  
  
“Never, Asuna-hime!” He gave her a hurt look as he returned his attention to his phone and the map. “Ok, so we need to turn left at the next stop light…”

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito opened the gate and let Asuna into the yard. “Welcome to my humble abode. Home sweet home, I guess.” He pulled his key out of his duffle and unlocked the door. He paused, hand on the knob. His eyes narrowed, Kirito stood straighter. He put his left hand on the Shinai at his side.  
  
Kirito-kun?” Asuna shifted the cat to her left arm and put her right hand on her borrowed shinai.  
  
“My instincts are screaming. “ He replied, drawing the Shinai before opening the door, his shinai in a position to block.  
  
And good thing too, because an older man had been waiting on the other side. He’d brought down his own, to hit Kirito on the head, but it slid off Kirito’s.  
  
A moment later, Kirito had disarmed the man. “Grandfather, was that really necessary?” Kirito asked, holding the Shinai he’d knocked out of his grandfather’s hands in his right.  
  
Kirigaya Kenshin frowned at Kirito’s sudden ability with a sword. “When I went to check on you this morning you were gone.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you even realize how much that scared us?”  
  
Kirito blinked, bowing low, “Forgive me, Grandfather, Asuna needed me.”  
  
The man looked past his grandson for the first time, “Asuna.” His eyes narrowed.  
  
“Kirigaya-sensei,” Asuna bowed respectfully.  
  
Kirito stood, turning to his wife as he gestured to his grandfather, “Asuna-hime, this is Kirigaya Kenshin, my grandfather and Kendo teacher.” He turned to his grandfather, gesturing to Asuna. “Grandfather, this is Yuuki Asuna, my fiancée.”  
  
“I’d have hit you if you’d called her what you treat her as.” Kenshin said gruffly. “Asuna may be old enough to get married with her parents’ permission, but you aren’t.”  
  
“We understand that, Honored Grandfather,” Asuna replied with another, slight bow, “But we do plan to marry as soon as we are able.”  
  
“That’s not for two years,” Kenshin let the pair of teenagers in the house.  
  
“We are willing to wait.” Kirito sighed in relief as the door closed behind him and Asuna.  
  
Asuna pulled her duffle over her shoulder, holding it in front of her, “Why don’t you show me to your room, Kirito-kun?” She purred.  
  
Kirito blushed, taking her duffle. “This way, Asuna-hime.” He headed for the stairs.  
  
Asuna smiled, taking his hand. She let Kirito pull her up the stairs, to the second door to the left.  
  
“This one is mine.” Kirito gave her an embarrassed smile. “It’s much smaller than yours is.”  
  
“I don’t care, as long as your _bed_ is big enough.” Asuna crossed her arms over her chest under her breasts, emphasizing them.  
  
Kirito gave her a glance and looked away. “Damned tease…” he muttered, making a mental note to buy a lock for his bedroom door.  
  
Asuna gave him an unrepentant smile, “As if you aren’t?”  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes, smirking. He opened the door and let her in. “So, welcome, make yourself at home.”  
  
Asuna put her duffle on his desk and sat down on his bed. “Your room is rather cozy compared to mine.” She began to pet the cat in her lap absentmindedly. “So this pretty girl is black and her eyes are rather unique…”  
  
“She’s also got your symbol on her forehead,” Kirito observed, “I think we met the NPC version of her on floor… twenty-two after Aki gifted us the cabin… right before we eloped maybe? Because I know we met her before we found Yui and Strea…”  
  
Asuna looked at the cat again, her eyes narrowing in thought. As little as she liked to do so, she consulted Princess Serenity’s memories, seeing if they recognized the cat. “Luna?” she asked.  
  
The cat meowed innocently, trying to pretend that she was just a normal cat.  
  
Both teens gave the cat flat looks.  
  
“I remember a bit,” Asuna said. “The memories are a bit hazier, but I do remember her. And that… a Mau. She was a Mau. I remember that she was there to serve as an advisor to Her.” She looked at the cat, who was giving her a shocked look. “So you survived as well? I know that Kizmel and Tilnel are survivors, but were there others?”  
  
“...I seem to remember meeting an… Artemis too…” Kirito’s eyes narrowed, “Wait, no, not meet but the NPC told us about her partner…”  
  
Asuna sighed, “I know for a fact that Inanna was reincarnated…”  
  
“Inanna?” Kirito asked.  
  
“The Princess of Venus,” Asuna replied, still looking at the cat and gauging her reactions. “Also known as Sailor Venus back then.”  
  
“Princess Serenity?” The cat asked.  
  
“I’m Asuna,” Asuna corrected, giving the cat a sharp look. “I was her in a previous life, but I’m _not_ her now. Please don’t call me by her name. Remember that, Luna.”  
  
“But--”  
  
“Don’t,” Kirito said. “When she found out that she was a reincarnation, not to mention _who_ she was a reincarnation of, she didn’t take it well. It wasn’t helped by the fact that the memories started coming in full force after she learned of it. There was a time when she was afraid of losing herself to them.”  
  
Luna opened her mouth to reply and then closed it before giving a reluctant nod. She then gave Asuna a look. “You’re younger than I expected,” she said.  
  
“How so?” Asuna asked.  
  
“The others are all adults, for one,” Luna said. “And they’ve been fighting for nine years. Well, the Inner Senshi, barring Venus, have. She’s been fighting for a decade.”  
  
“The Youma have been active for longer than that,” Kirito noted.  
  
“How do you know that?” Luna asked.  
  
“I know because I survived a Youma attack thirteen years ago,” Kirito said. “The same attack that killed my parents. And I need to discuss that with Jadeite. You can say it will be a rather pointed one, with me making sharp and cutting remarks during it. If my brother doesn’t get to him first, that is.”  
  
“And Kirito can be rather vehement in his arguments,” Asuna said. “You could say that Kunzite lost his head when he heard them.”  
  
Luna blinked. “I don’t think that using words would work here,” she said.  
  
“They can when those words are given by a sword,” Asuna remarked.  
  
Luna paused and gave Kirito a look. “You mean that Kunzite was in SAO?” She asked. “And he’s dead?”  
  
Kirito nodded.  
  
“Are you certain of that?”  
  
“Captain Heathcliff confirmed it,” Asuna replied.  
  
“That… that is excellent news!” Luna exclaimed.  
  
“Don’t expect us to pull it off again any time soon,” Kirito said. “That was inside SAO and under its rules. In there, any of us could have killed him if we were skilled or lucky enough. That goes the same for the remaining generals if they had been there. Out here? I wouldn’t bet on it.”  
  
“Why not?” Luna asked.  
  
“Allow me to explain,” Asuna said. “First, we’re still recovering from being in there. None of us are in any shape to fight. Second, SAO had an equalizing effect that doesn’t exist out here. Kunzite was _weaker_ in there than he would have been out here. Also, he had no magic. He still had all his skills, but that’s it. Kirito is good, but there was a bit of luck involved in that fight.” She shot Kirito an apologetic look. “No offense.”  
  
“None taken.” Kirito said. “I’ve fought him once before that fight, remember? I was lucky to survive that fight long enough for backup to arrive and him to withdraw once the odds didn’t favor him. I was more skilled in our final encounter, but that doesn’t mean that I was more skilled than him.”  
  
“But you won that fight,” Luna said.  
  
“It doesn’t mean that I wasn’t still lucky,” Kirito countered. He yawned a moment later, sitting next to his wife.  
  
Luna gave him a concerned look. “Are you alright?”  
  
“Tired more than anything.” Kirito replied, laying down between Asuna and the wall.  
  
After Kirito seemingly fell asleep, Luna turned to Asuna, “I’m sorry to ask, but who is this boy to you?” The black cat asked.  
  
“Kirito-kun is to be my Consort, at least according to Captain Heathcliff.” Asuna replied around a yawn of her own as she leaned back, snuggling into Kirito’s side.  
  
“Good night then, Princess.” Luna whispered  
  


* * *

  
Three hours later, Kirito and Asuna reappeared from the boy’s bedroom.  
  
“Kazu, where did you go?” a middle aged woman asked from her place at the table.  
  
Kirito blushed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Forgive me, Mother, but Asuna needed me.” He shook his head, “We really can’t be apart.”  
  
The woman’s frown deepened for a moment, “I see,” She actually didn’t, but she could get the full story later.  
  
Asuna pulled Kirito into the kitchen, “Cook with me!”  
  
Kirito chuckled in agreement before he stumbled. Turning his head, Kirito relaxed when he saw that it was just his younger sister. “Get off Sugu.”  
  
“No.” His sister refused stubbornly, wrapping her arms around his throat and her legs around his middle.  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes, especially when he heard Asuna giggling at his predicament. “Sorry, Asuna, it seems Sugu is doing her best impression of a limpet.”  
  
“Hello Sugu.” Asuna greeted after getting her laughter under control.  
  
“Hello Big Sister,” Suguha chirped happily.  
  
Kirito’s eyes lit up as he gave Asuna a smirk. Then he pulled Suguha off his back with a maneuver that he’d often pulled with Yui and Strea.  
  
“Put me down Kazu!” Suguha squawked, pouting.  
  
Kirito grinned as he dropped his sister into her seat. “As you wish Sugu.” He chuckled as he followed Asuna into the kitchen.  
  
Midori and Kenshin, who had been silent throughout the encounter between siblings, chuckled as they watched Suguha sulk.  
  


* * *

  
Kirito leaned against the counter, “So, what’s for lunch?”  
  
“Let’s see what’s here.” Asuna grinned.  
  
Over the next twenty minutes, they had fun finding out what was in the cupboards.  
  


* * *

  
While Kirito and Asuna were cooking, Akihiko Kayaba arrived at the house. He too found Suguha’s sulking amusing.  
  
“Afternoon Brother,” Kirito greeted, placing a plate in front of him.  
  
“Afternoon, Kazu,” Akihiko replied with a smile. “So, what have you and our Princess been doing?”  
  
Kirito blushed, “We would not go so far,” He growled.  
  
Akihiko smirked, “I know, but it is fun to tease you both.”  
  
Asuna huffed, “Leave my Consort alone, Heathcliff.” She gave him the stink eye.  
  
Akihiko chuckled, “I shall, for now…”  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes, “Aki…” He sat down next to Asuna.  
  
Asuna giggled, “Kirito-kun, let’s just enjoy lunch.”  
  
“As you wish, Asuna-hime.” Kirito gave her a smile.  
  
“So, have you made any headway finding out what’s going on with the Three Hundred?” Asuna asked as they all dug in.  
  
“Argus is footing their bill at the moment,” Akihiko replied, “Though I’m surprised that the company survived what Zoicite did to Sword Art Online.”  
  
“Then they are safe for the moment.” Asuna summarized. “What we need to do is figure out where they are so that we can wake them up,”  
  
“Could they be in a different game?” Suguha asked, “There aren’t that many VRMMOs out.”

* * *

  
**Toutou University**  
  
Yuna knew that she really should not have come to visit her father since she was supposed to still be on bed rest, but she missed him terribly. She paused in front of his office door, freezing when she heard a second voice from the office, one that was strangely familiar.  
  
“…Several hundred willing _Volunteers_ for my research…” Yuuna could barely hear the voice saying. Feeling as if she was part of a guild similar to Titan’s Hand, Yuna carefully opened the door _very_ slightly and focused on her hearing. “I must say, finding those volunteers was a real boon.”  
  
“What is it that you are researching again, Nobuyuki-kun?” Her father’s voiced asked, “Something to do with manipulating a person’s memories?”  
  
“To help amnesiac people, yes, Shigemura-sensei.” Nobuyuki replied.  
  
Slowly, so as to not make any noise, Yuna closed the door to her father’s office and backed up until her back hit the wall on the on the other side of the hallway.  
  
“…Nobuyuki…?” She wondered softly as she slid down the wall to sit on the floor. She knew someone by that name, who was it… That was it! Sugou! Sugou Nobuyuki was one of her father’s students, alongside Captain Heathcliff! “Volunteers?”  
  
Wait, three hundred people hadn’t woken up from their ordeal yet! “Could he be referring to…?” She asked herself quietly before turning and walking away from her father’s office, being careful to not hurry. She could visit her father later.  
  
But she had to pass this information on. _And we don’t have the messaging function anymore,_ she thought as she exited the building that housed her fathers labs as well as the classrooms where he and his fellow faculty taught. She pulled her phone out and brought up her contact list. She knew who she would call.  
  
If she had the Commander, the Princess, or Captain Heathcliff in her contact list, she would have contacted one of them. But she didn’t. She _did_ , however, have Argo’s contact information. The Rat had made sure to pass it on to her at the hospital.  
  
They didn’t have the messaging function anymore, but they did have this. It would have to do.


	4. Where are the Three Hundred Sleepers?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Three Hundred have been found, but now, how do we get to them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nānu khaidiyāgilla, nānu muktanāgiruttēne - I am not a prisoner, I am free.

**November 30, 2024; Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito paused, “That might be something to look into later.” He agreed, “When some of the others have had a chance to get out of the hospital and some rehab under their belts.” He frowned as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, wondering who would be calling, or texting him in the middle of lunch. Opening the message, he skimmed it. “Aki, did you have any rivals that might do something like this out of spite?”  
  
Akihiko sighed, “There might be one…” He admitted. “And I suspect that he was behind the hacking attempt last year.”  
  
Something in Kayaba’s voice caught Asuna’s attention, “Who was it?” she asked curiously, feeling as if she was forgetting something that could be potentially very important.  
  
“Sugou Nobuyuki was a rival of mine in Toudou.” Kayaba told her, shaking his head, “I may have been proclaimed a genius, but I still worked very hard to get where I was there. Sugou is intelligent in his own right, but he was… lacking in scope with what he did.”  
  
“Someone sounds jealous of your ability and accomplishments.” Kirito gave his older brother a smirk. “But is a grudge really worth destroying people’s lives more than they were by Zoicite’s manipulations?”  
  
“Sugou… Nobuyuki?” Asuna repeated, paling. “I… think my father hired him to head one of the Divisions but I don’t remember which one, and I don’t remember when.”  
  
“Well, that narrows down what games we need to look at even more.” Kirito put an arm around Asuna. “We’ll need to see what we can do. But later, after we’ve have a chance to settle.”  
  
Asuna nodded as Suguha suddenly stood up. “What’s up Sugu?” She asked curiously.  
  
“I’ll be right back.” She ran from the table.  
  
Kirito and Asuna blinked after her. “I wonder what she’s getting…” Kirito wondered aloud.  
  
Asuna shook her head, leaning against Kirito’s side. “We can worry about this later.”  
  
“Mmm, I suppose,” Kirito nodded. He picked up his chopsticks and fed her a bite.  
  
Asuna blushed, accepting the morsel. “You spoil me…”  
  
“That’s impossible.” Kirito teased.  
  
Midori’s quiet laughter reminded them they weren’t alone. “I swear, the two of you are adorable.”  
  
Both Kirito and Asuna flushed darkly, “Mother…” Kirito muttered in embarrassment, unable to meet her eyes.  
  
Midori and Akihiko shared a grin.  
  
Suguha reappeared a moment later with a box in hand. “I think you need to look at this.”  
  
Kirito took the box, “Alfheim Online?” He gave his older brother a curious look, “Weren’t you developing this at the same time as Sword Art Online?”  
  
Akihiko nodded, “I’d wanted all the Players to play both games concurrently…” He sighed, “But then Zoicite happened.”  
  
Kirito’s grip on his chopsticks tightened so much that they creaked in protest. “Yes…” He growled, “Zoicite happened. And it’s because of him that nearly two thousand people died. I’m just glad that we were able to put Kunzite’s corpse back in the ground.” He rubbed at his eyes with a hand.  
  
Asuna hugged him tightly. “So, you think that this Nobuyuki Sugou is responsible for this?” She asked.  
  
“Not with any certainty,” Akihiko replied. “But he does have the skills necessary to do something like this and had the access to SAO at the time. It isn’t impossible that someone managed to crack SAO’s security remotely, but it is highly unlikely.” He then smirked. “Either way, whoever it was has to contend with those who survived SAO. How do you think they will take what happened to them?”  
  
Kazuto and the Princess smirked right back.

* * *

  
  
**Alfheim Online: Sugou’s Labs**  
  
Silica was annoyed. She’d been in this place for almost a month, and she was sure that she, and any others that might be here weren’t going to be rescued any time soon. The game was over, and it wasn’t likely that anyone would be in any condition to figure out where she was, _if_ she was the only one still trapped.  
  
She could feel Pina even more acutely now that she’d been here for so long, Pina’s hunger was almost overwhelming by now, and Silica could feel that her friend was quite tired of waiting. “Just wait a little longer, Pina,” Silica soothed. They needed to be patient, more patient than this.  
  
Pina gave Silica an insistent mental nudge. Silica soothed her friend again, her [System Awareness] was telling her that someone was there, and that she _really_ didn’t want to try anything when people were around. She’d be able to tell if there was someone there or not. And something told her that it would get very bad for her and Pina if she tried to get out of whatever this prison was, when there were other people around.  
  
So, as hungry as Pina was, she would have to wait. But it wouldn’t be for much longer. She’d been keeping careful track of when she’d felt, were they Players or something else, were around.  
  
They, whoever _they_ were, arrived, stayed for what the youngest member of the [Divine Dragon Alliance] assumed to be eight hours, and then they left, and were gone for… what she thought were sixteen hour intervals.  
  
And it was now just over the seven and three quarters mark, the… things that her [SA] were detecting would be leaving soon. The only reason she was still waiting was that her instincts were cautioning her not to. Not yet.  
  
She had not survived the game as one of the borderline clearing level players for so long by ignoring her instincts, let alone the beginnings of that refinement of [System Awareness] known as [Hypersense] when it had started to develop. Every ability and experience she had was a tool that she had used ruthlessly to keep herself and Pina alive. Long hours of grinding had taught her something of patience and right now, that was what she needed.  
  
That didn’t change the fact that she _hated_ waiting.  
  


* * *

****

  
It had been nearly half an hour, by Silica’s estimates, since those… _things_ she’d sensed had left. It was time to make her escape. She may not have any of her equipment, but she didn’t need it to be dangerous.  
  
Hadn’t Yuuna said that there was something in the Lore of SAO, similar to the mantra she’d used before right? Something that made keeping the soldiers of the [Silver Empire] prisoners nearly impossible? That was it, she knew the words. “ _Nānu khaidiyāgilla, nānu muktanāgiruttēne_.” She breathed. She could feel her magic building as she repeated the phrase once, twice, and on the third iteration, she felt the calm clarity she knew she needed before she acted.  
  
She pushed her awareness around her, feeling the boundaries of her prison. They weren’t much, but she could see that for someone who was not entirely aware of his or her situation, they would be effective barriers to freedom. But she was aware of her situation.  
  
She probed them, looking for any weaknesses. She could break out of this prison without any weaknesses to exploit, but Lind and the others of the [DDA] had taught her to look for things she could. After all, why should she put in more effort to accomplish an objective, when taking a little time to find a way to do it more easily would save her time and effort?  
  
There! The barrier seemed to be weaker in a spot that she considered being to her east. Given that direction was meaningless in this place, she had to use herself as a frame of reference. It was to her “right”, and was thus “east”. Maybe where her captors interacted with her in whatever they were doing?  
  
 _Don’t think about that_ , she thought. _Focus on that weak spot and push!_  
  
She pushed, and before she knew it, she was somewhere else.  
  
The room seemed to be brightly lit where she was, or at least she could see around her. With a cry, Pina appeared, landing on Silica’s shoulder.  
  
Looking around, Silica could see that the room was rather plain.  
  
[Welcome to Alfheim Online.]  
  
Silica tisked, “That just figures… the [Commander] manages to free us all _early_ and I end up trapped in another game…” the fourteen year old sighed, “I wonder what I did to get such bad luck…”  
  
[Please enter your name and the gender you would prefer to play as.]  
  
Silica looked down at the keyboard that appeared before her. “I’m a girl, so…” She pressed the [F] and typed in the name she had been using for the last two years.  
  
A moment later, the area seemed to glitch and Silica found herself in a very different place. What she saw made her incredibly _angry_ , there were rows upon rows of stations, with holograms of floating _brains_!

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Asuna sighed, resting her head on her fiancé’s chest. “I still wish you hadn’t had to go through that.” There were the beginnings of tears in her eyes, “And that he was only the first…”  
  
Kirito wrapped an arm around Asuna and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “It’s not praise-worthy,” he agreed, swallowing. “But had I not, he’d have killed Klein, and then you.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “I know,” she said quietly. “That still doesn’t mean that I have to like it.”  
  
Midori coughed, getting everyone’s attention,” Let’s not talk about such things at the lunch table, it’s inappropriate.”  
  
Akihiko gave Midori a nod and placed a gentle hand on Kirito’s unoccupied shoulder. “Aunt Midori is right Kazu, let’s not talk about this here.”  
  
Kirito nodded as he closed his eyes, “Sorry, Brother, I didn’t…” When his eyes opened, they were clear of such thoughts.  
  
“We know,” Akihiko gave Kirito’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.  
  
Suguha leaned forward in her chair, “Brother, you can borrow ALO when you feel up to returning to VR.”  
  
Kirito gave his little sister a grateful smile, “Thanks, Sugu.”

* * *

  
  
**December 5, Dicey Cafe**  
  
Yuna almost stumbled as she ran down the street where the _Dicey Cafe_ was located. She was panting as the door banged against the inside wall she’d pushed it open so fast and hard.  
  
The sound of the large crash made every single person at the bar, and herself flinch. More slowly, and not to mention _carefully_ , Yuuna closed the door, wincing when she saw the damage to the wall. “Right… Safe Zones and Immortal Objects are no longer a thing…”  
  
Yuna blushed as she made her way to the bar and sat on one of the stools. “Sorry Agil,” She apologized, “I’ll ask my father to pay for the repairs…”  
  
Agil, who had been standing behind the bar waved her apology away. “Don’t worry about it, Loremaster.”  
  
“Anyway, you called us here for something I believe?” Commander Kirito asked.  
  
“I did yes; I overheard something that I possibly should not have when I went to visit my father at the beginning of the month, just this last week.”  
  
“Hold on a moment,” Agil stopped her, “How about you all go sit at one of the tables so that you can see each other more easily.”  
  
Commander Kirito nodded and pulled Princess Asuna off her stool. “Thanks Agil, that's a good idea.”  
  
Captain Heathcliff nodded, also standing and Yuna was swift to follow them to the table closest to the bar. She watched as the Commander pulled a chair out for his wife and Princess Asuna sat down. That was when she noticed that Captain Heathcliff had pulled a chair out for her as well. “Um, thank you.” She said a bit meekly as she sat down.  
  
Once she and Princess Asuna were seated, Commander Kirito and Captain Heathcliff sat down themselves.  
  
“You were saying, Loremaster?” Commander Kirito prompted.  
  
“Uh, right!” Yuna turned serious. “When I went to visit my father over at Toudou U., I overheard him talking to one of his old students. This student of his, one Sugou Nobuyuki, said something that caused me to believe that he might have something to do with the three hundred Sleepers, like Silica…”  
  
“What was it, precisely, that he said?” Princess Asuna enquired.  
  
Yuna bit the inside of her lip. “I didn’t hear everything, but what I did hear is quite damning, should he be caught, especially if _we_ are the ones to do so.”  
  
“Sounds serious.” Agil said as he brought over several mugs of coffee and sat down himself.  
  
“It _is_ …” Yuna agreed. “I don’t know _exactly_ what his research is about, but it seems to have something to do with Memory Manipulation.”  
  
Commander Kirito’s eyes narrowed as he turned to Captain Heathcliff, “So, Captain, do you remember if that was a thing back during the Empire?” he asked.  
  
Captain Heathcliff met Princess Asuna’s eyes across the table and she gave him a nod. “From what I remember, it was an ability that Advisers Luna and Artemis had as Mau.”  
  
Princess Asuna nodded in agreement. “ _She_ remembers witnessing Luna do it at least once.” She shook her head, “It’s something that neither of the Queen’s Advisers enjoyed doing and it was only done on soldiers who were suffering from what we call PTSD in this era, at least as far as _Serenity_ remembers.”  
  
Captain Heathcliff nodded, “That was its peacetime use,” He agreed, “The man in the back of my head vaguely remembers that it had other uses in war.”  
  
Commander Kirito turned back to Yuna, “So, what reason could Sugou have to do this research?”  
  
Yuna shrugged, “I can’t even begin to speculate.” She shook her head, “But Sugou-san said something about… having procured _several hundred volunteers_ …”  
  
Kirito chuckled grimly, “And it isn’t _at all_ suspicious that there are _several hundred_ of us that haven’t woken yet…” he said sarcastically with a long sigh.  
  
It wasn’t funny, but they all found themselves laughing anyway, because it was either laugh or curse at this point.  
  
Urgent business done, for the moment anyway, Commander Kirito turned the conversation topic to something hopefully a little less volatile. “So, Agil, about that Battle Axe hanging there behind the bar…”  
  
Agil shrugged, “Would you believe me if I said I don’t know how it got here?” the huge black Japanese-American asked.  
  
“It would have to be a plausible explanation,” Commander Kirito replied, “Do you have one?”  
  
“Uh, maybe, though that depends on the definition of plausible that we are using.” Agil hedged.  
  
“Plausible for us, not the NPCs.” Commander Kirito answered promptly.  
  
“Well, in that case,” Agil paused so that he could put what his wife had told him in the proper order. “According to Kathy, the _Dicey Caf_ e was attacked by the Dark Kingdom while we were trapped.” The man started to grin proudly. “Kathy started evacuating the Cafe and reached under the bar for something that she might use to get the Youma away from one of our employees, who is fine by the way.”  
  
“Do you usually keep something behind the bar in cases of emergency like that?” Captain Heathcliff asked.  
  
Agil shook his head, “We didn’t need to, this place is on the _good_ side of downtown, not to mention far from where the Youma usually haunt. At worst, we would have one of the Yakuza gangs trying to start a protection racket before they got warned off by someone…” He put an elbow on the table and placed his chin on his palm. “When Kathy reached under the bar for something that wasn’t there, her hand closed around the shaft of that axe. Big as it is, I was surprised that she was able to lift the thing, seeing as how high my Strength stat was when _I_ started using it.”  
  
“That’s quite interesting.” Princess Asuna commented.  
  
“Well,” Agil sounded quite proud of his wife. “Kathy used it, rather amateurishly, since she has no experience fighting with axes, let alone one _that_ big, to kill the Youma.”  
  
“I’m guessing one of the Senshi arrived after it was all over?” Commander Kirito asked.  
  
Agil nodded. “According to Kathy, it was Pluto,” he said. “Apparently, she had an appointment down here with someone, and Pluto joked about being… “Caught in traffic.” to help Kathy come down from her high.”  
  
“You must be proud of your wife.” Captain Heathcliff mused.  
  
“I am, and once I’ve gotten used to not living in a game, I’m going to use Alfheim Online to teach her how to use a weapon so that she can do better in case she ever has to fight one again.”  
  
Commander Kirito looked like he agreed with everything Agil was saying. “So,” He said, changing the topic again, “We need a place where we can all meet, a Headquarters for this operation, I know that we are going to have a school dedicated to us come the start of the school year, but we are going to need a place for our leaders to meet too.”  
  
“Kathy suggested that we use the Cafe.” Agil said seriously. “This place is now safe from the Youma, so why not?”  
  
“You really don’t mind?” Princess Asuna asked.  
  
“Kathy and I were going to remodel this place anyway,” Agil shrugged, “SAO turning into a Death Game merely delayed our plans.”  
  
“Ok then, we need to decide what we want first then.” Commander Kirito pulled out a notebook. “We can work on blueprints later, with Agil having the final say, since this _is_ his establishment, but first, we need to decide what needs to be in our HQ. Ideas?”  
  
“We need an Infirmary.” Princess Asuna said right away.  
  
Commander Kirito began to write. “That was a given, as we can’t exactly go to a regular hospital, considering what we are going to be doing.” He agreed. “Anything else?”  
  
“We need a barracks, nothing too big of course, just something for those that are too tired (read drunk in _some_ cases) to go home.” Captain Heathcliff spoke up.  
  
“Um,” Yuuna spoke up timidly.  
  
“Yes Loremaster?” Commander Kirito asked, not looking up from his writing.  
  
“What about a place for a Teleport Pad, for when we figure out how to get one working?” She asked, “We _are_ eventually going to have to go to at least the moon, and I would like to see if we can get access to Aincrad… if it still exists…”  
  
Kirito nodded thoughtfully.  
  
“We’ll also need a place to hold meetings.” Agil added.  
  
Kirito nodded again as he finished writing. “Ok, so I have the Barracks going first, then the Infirmary, the meeting level and the Teleport Pad going on the lowest floor. …I suggest Agil, that you build something above these levels to hide them from the general public.”  
  
“We were going to refurbish the kitchen…” Agil mused, “But I don’t see why we can’t build a huge kitchen as the first basement level. The only concern will be paying for it all.”  
  
“Any cost concerns can be handled by Argus,” Heathcliff said. “Even with all the lawsuits my company still had to settle despite it being classed as a Youma operation and the costs of medical care for everyone, my company still has plenty of resources that can be tapped. It’s not bottomless. I may have to twist a few arms in the company’s finance office, but so long as the costs are reasonable, it should be no issue.”  
  
“I think that’s a great idea.” Princess Asuna gave Agil a smile before standing. “Now that that’s done… Kirito-kun and I have to go now.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Let me know when you get the blueprints worked out. But right now, Asuna-hime and I need to head home.”  
  
Captain Heathcliff stood himself, “I drove us here, I’ll drop the two of you off at home before I go see Shigemura-sensei.”  
  
Yuna stood too, “Then I also need to go. My father doesn’t exactly know that I've left the house…”  
  
“Then I’ll see you all later.” Agil agreed as he got up and headed back behind the bar. “We can have that party _after_ the Sleepers have woken up.”

* * *

  
  
**December 24; Yuuki Residence**  
  
The doorbell rang and Kouichirou got out of his seat and headed for the front door. While it hurt that his baby sister couldn’t spend time here at the moment, he understood that she needed Kirito in order to recover properly.  
  
Opening the door, he let their guests in. “Nice to see you, Commander, Leafa. Asuna!” Kouichirou hugged his sister tightly.  
  
“I’m glad that you and Father understand Kou.” Asuna hugged him back tightly.  
  
“I’m just glad your mother agreed to have my family over so that we could have our first Christmas Outside with our whole family.” Kirito smiled as he took his jacket off and handed it to the maid.  
  
“It’s not whole yet.” Asuna refuted, “Cardinal, Yui and Strea aren’t going to be here…”


	5. Waking the Sleepers: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Dive into ALO.

**January 3, 2025: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito sighed, sitting on his bed. “Are you sure that you’re ready to Dive again? It’s only been two months since SAO finished.”  
  
“Quite ready,” Asuna replied. “I want to see our daughters again.”  
  
Kirito nodded in agreement, “I miss our girls too.” He took a deep breath. “We should check on them before we do anything else.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “Let’s go then.”  
  
Together, Kirito pulled his _NerveGear_ from where it lay on a shelf by his bed as Asuna pulled hers from her duffle bag. They put them on and lay on the bed, almost intertwining. “Link Start!”  
  
Their eyes closed.

* * *

  
  
**Above Aincrad**  
  
Kirito watched as his senses were connected and white enveloped him again for a moment. An instant later, his vision returned to see a scene that he’d seen only once before.  
  
The platform he’d appeared on was invisible, and below him, the huge structure that represented [Castle Aincrad], was slowly being rebuilt.  
  
Kirito sat down on the ledge and rolled his shoulders as he opened his menu, “Hello, Cardinal.”  
  
“Uncle Kirito,” Cardinal answered as someone appeared behind them.  
  
Kirito turned, “Asuna.” He smiled as she materialized next to him. “Shall we wake the girls?”  
  
Asuna leaned against him, looking over his shoulder. “Yes.”  
  
Kirito tapped the two items, [MHCP-01] and [MHCP-02], with a smile as two small diamonds appeared in his hand. Handing the item called [MHCP-02] to Asuna and together they activated the items.  
  
Two little girls appeared, landing in their laps.  
  
“Good morning, Yui, Strea.” Kirito whispered, hugging the girl in his lap tightly.  
  
“Good morning Mama, Papa.” The girls snuggled with their parents happily. Yui buried her face in her mother’s chest and Strea pulled Kirito’s cloak around her. She hated being cold, then she rested her head in the pocket of her father’s shoulder.  
  
“Girls, three hundred of my soldiers haven’t woken up,” Asuna whispered, “We are going to be migrating to another game where we think they are being held.”  
  
Strea looked up, “Mama, where are we going?”  
  
“Alfheim Online.” Kirito replied instead. “Now, girls, we need to put you back to sleep while we transfer over.”  
  
“We just wanted to tell you what was going on before we woke you in an unfamiliar place.” Asuna continued.  
  
The two little girls nodded in understanding.

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Asuna and Kirito installed the new game, Alfheim Online on their NerveGears.  
  
“Are you ready for this?” Kirito asked.  
  
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,” Asuna sighed.  
  
Kirito nodded, “Then we should get going.”  
  
They closed their eyes again. “Link Start!”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito looked around. [WELCOME TO ALFHEIM ONLINE.] He heard the System say.  
  
A keyboard appeared in front of him. [PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME AND THE GENDER YOU WISH TO PLAY AS.]  
  
Kirito smiled as he toggled the gender to [Male] and typed in the name [Kirito]. He looked up when the keyboard disappeared and nine Avatars appeared in a circle. He knew what each was and his choice was already made.  
  
He chose Spriggan. And then he was falling.

* * *

  
  
**Alfheim Online: Unknown Area**  
  
Asuna entered her name and gender. She stopped on Undine and smiled when she felt herself began to fall.  
  
Asuna watched gleefully as the Capital of the Undines approached. She knew that she would need to meet up with Kirito ASAP.  
  
The scenery suddenly glitched out and she could see an expanse of forest that looked vaguely familiar, laid out below her. “Is this the… [Ancient Forest]?” She wondered. Asuna would have face planted, but for the instincts from her other self, her other life. She flipped in midair, and with a twitch of her back muscles, she had popped her wings. Flaring them, she slowly glided safely to the ground.  
  
Turning when she heard a loud thud from not far away, Asuna spread her wings and flitted over to where she was sure the sound had come from. The scene she came to made her want to laugh. “Kirito-kun, what happened to you?”  
  
Kirito, the [Commander] of her army, had face planted.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Asuna-hime…” Kirito grumbled as he flipped himself upright. He shook himself, and stretched as he watched her land, her four white Dragonfly wings folding neatly against her back.  
  
Wait. Undine were blue, and they didn’t _have Dragonfly wings_! But his wife looked normal, but for her elongated, metal covered ears. “You don’t look like a normal Undine, Asuna.”  
  
Asuna blinked, “What do you mean?” She asked in confusion.  
  
“I’d show you, but I don’t have a [Hand Mirror],” Kirito smirked. “I see that you had a better landing than I did.”  
  
“All thanks to who I used to be, I suppose.” Asuna smirked back. “Shall I teach you how to fly?”  
  
Kirito chuckled in amusement, “Sure, it’s not like I have anything to prove to you, my Asuna-hime…”

* * *

  
  
**Sylph Territory: Ancient Forest**  
  
Leafa panted as she fled from the other Fairy Salamanders. Damn, she’d been hoping to meet up with her brother and show him the ropes of the game! She didn’t care what Sigurd thought!  
  
She descended with haste to the forest floor and put her back to a tree. Why did the Salamanders have to attack her _now_?  
  
To make things worse, her friend Recon had already died.  
  
“Oi, four on one, that’s not fair…” A voice came from her left.  
  
“Let us join and make it fair.” A second voice agreed, from the same direction, this one female.  
  
“You know that’s not fair to the Salamanders, Asuna-hime.” The first voice said, “However, we don’t have time to wait for them to get enough of their friends that it _would_ be…”  
  
A dark shadow appeared out from beneath the trees and came to a stop in front of her in the form of a Spriggan. Leafa could see a confident, cocky smirk on his face.  
  
“Mah, [Commander], don’t take too long.”  
  
Now that she thought about it, Leafa recognized that voice, both voices actually. She blinked, “Nee-chan?” Her brother’s wife was… She couldn’t think of any words to describe the older girl.  
  
Wait, then, that meant… “Onii-chan!” She breathed, smirking, “Kirito, right?”  
  
The Spriggan didn’t turn, but one of his ears twitched, “Yeah?”  
  
“You can kill them all if you want.” Leafa told him.  
  
[Death] wasn’t final here but… “[Princess]?” Kirito asked.  
  
“If you wish,” Asuna smirked, “Just remember to leave me some.”  
  
“You know I always will, Hime.” Kirito replied, leaning forward and pulling his [Starting Sword] from its sheath. “Too light, not quite enough reach, but for this, it will do.” His smirk was slightly bloodthirsty. A moment later, one of the Salamanders died. “[Switch]!” He breathed.  
  
Asuna blurred, and two more Salamanders died.  
  
As one, Kirito and Asuna turned to the last Salamander. “So,” Kirito smirked. “So, what say you? Still want to fight?”  
  
The floating Salamander flinched back. “I just got my magic stat to nine hundred, so I think I’ll just retreat.” And he flew off.  
  
Kirito stretched his arms over his head before turning to look at Leafa. “So…”  
  
Leafa touched a finger to his lips, “They can still hear you.”  
  
Kirito grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his mouth. He gave her a smile and turned to watch the red fires of the [Remain Lights]. Then he turned to look at Asuna.  
  
Patiently, the three waited another minute for the [Remain Lights] to disappear.  
  
“Now that they are gone…” Leafa threw her arms around her brother’s shoulders. “I _really_ missed you, Onii-chan!” she cried. “I’ve wanted to play with you since…”  
  
Kirito sighed, wrapping his arms around his little sister, petting her long blonde hair. “It’s alright, Sugu.” He breathed. “Nothing is going to happen to us now that we are out of SAO.” Then he pushed her away gently, “Sugu, Asuna and I need to check our [Inventory].” He told the younger girl.  
  
“We use our left hands,” Leafa hiccuped.  
  
Kirito nodded, opening his menu and looked at his stats. “Huh, these numbers are familiar…” he muttered, his eyes narrowing. “Wait… Asuna… These are my SAO stats. You should check yours too.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “You should check our [Inventory] while I do that.”  
  
Kirito tapped a few of the holographic buttons. “We might have to discard our things…” He warned.  
  
“We can deal with that later.” Asuna replied, “Though I doubt we will. Since Heathcliff said that he had originally planned for us to play both at the same time. Our Character and Items _should_ be compatible.” She reasoned.  
  
“True,” Kirito agreed, looking for two items in particular. He smiled when he found them. “Here we go.” he selected both and materialized them. Two teardrops fell neatly into his cupped hand. Slowly, he closed his hand and Kirito pulled away from his sister.  
  
Leafa watched him in curiosity. “Onii-chan?”  
  
Kirito gave his sister a smile. “You’ll see,” he pressed a button and both gems glowed and two very small girls appeared, their eyes closed. “Good morning Girls.”  
  
Leafa had to bite her lip, she’d known that her nieces were adorable… but on a screen and in person were very different things!  
  
Yui stretched her arms over her head before opening her eyes and Strea yawned. “Good morning, Papa,” they chirped.  
  
“Girls, will you be able to find the [Sleepers]?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Once we are in range, Yui and I should be able to detect anyone on yours or Papa’s [Friend List], Mama.” Strea confirmed.  
  
“How is ALO treating the two of you?” Kirito asked.  
  
Yui answered this time, “ALO’s Cardinal… I think Uncle was going to call her Camillia, has classified us as [Navigation Pixies]. We have Pixie forms. Strea and I should probably take them so that whoever trapped the [Sleepers] aren’t alerted to the fact that we are here…”  
  
Strea nodded and they both glowed.  
  
When the glow receded, there were two tiny little pixies floating were Yui and Strea had been standing.  
  
Kirito held his hands together and both girls landed in them. “And just when I thought our daughters couldn’t get any more adorable.”  
  
“Papa!” Yui and Strea squeaked, blushing brightly.  
  
Kirito grinned, “What?”  
  
Asuna sighed, “Would you stop teasing our daughters? We need to head to the closest [Settlement].”  
  
“The closest one is [Swilvane], Mama.” Yui spoke up.  
  
“That’s your Capital, isn’t it, Leafa?” Kirito asked his sister.  
  
Leafa nodded, “Are you sure, Onii-chan? Quite a few Sylph are likely to give you and Onee-chan trouble…” she looked dubious.  
  
“I don’t think it’s likely, as long as we are with you.” Kirito replied soothingly.  
  
Leafa nodded, “Your logic is sound,” she admitted, though she still looked and sounded worried.

* * *

  
  
**Swilvane**  
  
Kirito and Asuna were flying hand in hand. “There it is, [Swilvane].” Kirito breathed, pointing to the [Emerald City] as it came into view.  
  
“If you are willing to wait a few minutes,” Leafa turned to look at them, “I’ll be able to get permission from Sakuya-sama to leave [Swilvane]. Then I can go with you to Arun.”  
  
“While you do that, Asuna and I are going to find an Inn and rent a room where we can change into our armor and switch weapons.” Kirito agreed.  
  
“In that case, I know the perfect Inn for that.” Leafa smiled.  
  
When they got to [Swilvane], Asuna helped Kirito land. “What?” She asked, noticing Leafa’s pout.  
  
Leafa shrugged, “Normally new [Players] face plant, either when they first arrive, or when they start learning how to fly.” The younger girl explained with a giggle.  
  
“And you thought it would be amusing to see me do that.” Kirito gave his sister a flat look.  
  
“I was actually looking forward to teaching you both,” Leafa admitted.  
  
“But I already know how to fly…” Asuna mused.  
  
“And Asuna-hime already taught me, sorry, Sugu.” Kirito apologize.  
  
Leafa slumped, pouting, “Oh…”  
  
Kirito sighed, “Sugu, I’m only just learning. I bet if I hadn’t been holding Asuna’s hand, I _would_ have face planted.”  
  
“And I’m out of practice, for _reasons_ ,” Asuna added, “I bet you have a bunch of useful tips to help me too.”  
  
Leafa perked up, “Really?” She asked hopefully.  
  
Both Kirito and Asuna nodded.  
  
“I am just starting to learn. I bet there will be plenty of chances for you to see me make an idiot of myself.” Kirito continued.  
  
At that, Leafa started giggling. “So…?”  
  
“We’ll be happy to accept any help you can provide.” Asuna reassured her.  
  
Leafa nodded as they came to an Inn. “This is--”  
  
“Leafa-chan!” a nasally voice called out.  
  
“Recon, you died again, didn’t you?” Leafa asked tiredly as another Sylph ran up to them.  
  
Recon, a lime-green haired green eyed Sylph looked happy to see Leafa, until he saw Kirito and Asuna. “Who are these two?” He hissed, going for his dagger.  
  
“Recon, these are my Onii-chan and Onee-chan… remember?” Leafa asked.  
  
Recon gave them both a suspicious look. “Your brother would go black, wouldn’t he?”  
  
“I think I remember you… One of Sugu’s friends from school, right?” Kirito asked.  
  
“That’s right,” Leafa agreed, “He started playing when the game went live last year. He decided to opt out of helping with the [Beta Test].”  
  
Kirito nodded, “This is my Fiancée, Asuna.”  
  
“But why is a Spriggan and a…” Recon trailed off.  
  
“I’m supposed to be an Undine.” Asuna supplied.  
  
“Then, why are an Undine and a Spriggan here in Sylph Territory?” Recon asked.  
  
Kirito looked to Leafa and raised an eyebrow.  
  
Leafa rolled her eyes, “Recon, you _do_ remember my brother’s handle… don’t you?”  
  
“Wait… you aren’t saying that this Spriggan is Kirito?” Recon took several steps back.  
  
“Yes.” Leafa smirked as she opened her menu and went to her [Inventory]. She opened a [Trade Window] and sent Recon all the Items that they’d gotten on the quest. “Could you hand this stuff out, I don’t want any of it.”  
  
“But Leafa…” Recon grumbled as he accepted the [Trade].  
  
“No buts Recon,” Leafa replied, “Onii-chan needs some help, so I need to help him for a bit, okay? I just need permission first, but as soon as his problem is solved I’ll be coming right back.”  
  
Recon slumped, “Alright, Leafa-chan.”  
  
Leafa smiled as she watched him leave, “Sorry about that, I don’t know why he’s like this.” She turned back to the pair, “Anyway, this is the Inn I was talking about.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Then Asuna and I are going to rent a room and change.” He said, opening the door for Asuna, who walked inside.  
  


* * *

****

  
In their room, Asuna opened her menu and equipped her old [KoB] uniform, deleting the ridiculous dress she’s spawned in, before switching her [Starting Sword] for [Lambent Light]. “Ready when you are.” Really, why would she wear something like _that_ outside the bedroom?  
  
She turned, watching as her husband adjusted his gloves and checked [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulsor’s] durability. “I think we might need to hit up a [Blacksmith] before we leave, I’m surprised [Dark Repulsor] didn’t break during my fight with Aniki…”  
  
“Then we should ask Leafa-chan about one.” Asuna agreed, tapping [Lambent Light] to check its durability. “Before we leave the city.”  
  
Kirito nodded as he slid [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulsor] back into their sheaths. “We might have to use some older equipment if there aren’t any [Blacksmiths] here.”  
  
“Mmm,” Asuna agreed, getting up from her chair. “Shall we go?”  
  
Kirito offered his arm to her, which she took, and they left the room.  
  


* * *

****

  
Leafa was standing in front of Sakuya’s desk.  
  
“You suspect that the [Three Hundred] are _where_?” Sakuya asked incredulously.  
  
“The [Crest of Yggdrasil].” Leafa replied seriously. “I don’t have any proof, but our [Game Master] was a rival of my cousin when they were in school, and while I’ve never met the man, Heathcliff says that he is the kind of person that would kidnap a bunch of people to experiment on, if he was given half a chance.”  
  
Sakuya stared at her subordinate for a moment before opening her Menu and making a note. “Take as long as you like, Leafa, to make sure that you are right or not.” Sakuya’s expression was serious when she looked back up at Leafa. “We don’t want ALO to turn into another instance of SAO, do we?”  
  
“No, we don’t.” Leafa shook her head in agreement. “Alright,” she bowed, “Thank you, Sakuya-sama.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito and Asuna met with Leafa in front of [Swilvane Tower]. “Before we leave, Leafa, Asuna and I need a [Blacksmith].”  
  
“Uh, I don’t know if there are any here…” Leafa looked thoughtful. “No [Player Blacksmiths] anyway.”  
  
“For something as simple as repairs we don’t really _need_ a [Player]…” Kirito replied with a shrug. “My [Dark Repulsor] is three points away from breaking, and while normally I would not let it get that bad…”  
  
“You needed to face Aki right away and couldn’t get it repaired.” Leafa agreed, “Kou and I were watching when you ended the game. We were ushered from the room moments later.”  
  
“Let’s find a [Blacksmith].” Asuna’s tone left no room for argument.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Well, this is an NPC shop, but I don’t think there are any Leprechauns here in [Swilvane]…” Leafa said fifteen minutes later.  
  
“Well, I’d hold off on this, to take them to Liz, but [Dark Repulsor] will break in the first fight I get in.” Kirito mused as he pushed the door open and went inside, Leafa and Asuna following him.  
  
“Welcome! What do you need?” the NPC [Blacksmith] asked.  
  
“Repairs.” Kirito replied, pulling [Dark Repulsor] from its sheath. “Can you bring this sword back to full durability?”  
  
“Yes sir.” The [Blacksmith] took [Dark Repulsor] from Kirito.  
  
Kirito turned to Asuna, “How bad is [Lambent Light]?”  
  
“Pretty bad, but not nearly as bad as [Elucidator] or [Dark Repulsor].” Asuna shook her head.  
  
Kirito turned to his sister, “So, why do you think the [Three Hundred] are here?”  
  
Leafa leaned against the wall as she thought about what to say. “Well, Sugou works for your father’s company, right Nee-chan?”  
  
Asuna nodded slowly, “Yes.” She dragged the ‘es’ out a little.  
  
“Well, ALO is under his purview,” Leafa explained, “The only area that no one has been able to access, has been the crest of [Yggdrasil]. So far, the [Grand Quest] has been impossible to clear.”  
  
“And,” Asuna paused, “You think that the [Three Hundred] might be there.”  
  
Leafa nodded. “No one has even gotten to the ceiling to see if there’s a [Quest Flag] yet.” She smiled, “But I’m sure the three of us will be able to!”  
  
“Sounds like a Boss Battle to me.” Kirito said as he watched the [Blacksmith].  
  
“Your sword is finished sir.” the NPC said.  
  
“Thank you.” Kirito took [Dark Repulsor] from the [Blacksmith] and unsheathed [Elucidator]. “This one too, please.”  
  
The NPC took the second sword wordlessly and got to work.

* * *

  
  
**Ancient Forest**  
  
“So, we’re off to where?” Kirito asked as they flew over the forest at breakneck speeds.  
  
“[Legrue Corridor] is the passageway to Arun from [Sylph Territory].” Leafa called back. “But we only have a twenty minute [Flight Time], so we have to go as fast as we can.”  
  
“Then let’s avoid the Mobs when possible,” Asuna replied, pushing her white wings to go faster.  
  
Kirito smirked, “Hime, wait for me.” He called, upping his speed as well.  
  
Leafa rolled her eyes and shook her head fondly at their antics, speeding up as she did so.This was what she’d wanted since she’d played the [Beta] of [ALO].  
  


* * *

****

  
As they were approached [Legrue Corridor], Kirito suddenly stopped, something was tickling his [Hypersense]. “Something’s not right here…” He said quietly, his eyes narrowing in thought. On a hunch, he activated his [Search] skill and spun in a slow circle to survey the area. He almost missed the little bat with glowing red eyes. “Leafa, are there tracking spells in this game?” he asked curiously.  
  
“There is the [Searcher] spell…” Leafa’s eyes widened, “The Salamanders from before must have told Lord Mortimer or Eugene about you! We need to destroy it and get out of here!”  
  
Asuna’s eyes narrowed, “Leafa-chan, there’s no need, let them come. Kirito-kun and I are probably the best [Players] in the game.”  
  
“But [ALO] is _not_ [SAO]!” Leafa sounded panicked.  
  
“Sure we might have some trouble if we were to fight in the air…” Kirito conceded, “But what if we were to face them in a place where they _can’t_ …”  
  
Asuna smirked, “You’re thinking about making them confront us in the tunnel.”  
  
“It’s where we have the advantage.” Kirito agreed. “Or at least where things will be equalized, given that they would be either stupid of very confident to not have a few casters. Still, the [Spell] needs to be destroyed so…” Kirito looked through his memory as he raised his hands, “Þeír slíta fimm grœnn vindr.” He called, the [Words of Power] appearing to circle him before becoming glowing orbs in his outstretched hand.  
  
Leafa blinked. “Onii-chan, how do you know that spell?”  
  
“Aniki used spells and Lunarian to teach me to speak, he made the spells a pattern game and told me ‘If you ever need them, you have to believe they will save your life.’ I had to believe in them absolutely.” Kirito replied as the [Vacuum Blades] were released, taking out the Tracker.  
  
Leafa looked at her brother and nodded. “You’ve used a spell before?” She asked. “Wait, all those years ago... that’s how…” She shook her head. “Sorry, just realizing how you survived the youma attack that...” She grimaced.  
  
“That killed my parents,” Kirito said grimly. He stared off into the distance for a short time before turning. “Let’s go.”

* * *

  
  
**Legrue Corridor**  
  
Kirito and Asuna came to a stop just outside of the [Legrue Safe Zone]. “Alright, here we are.” Kirito turned to Leafa, “Now we wait.”  
  
Leafa nodded. “Alright then.”  
  
Kirito then turned to Asuna, “You should look at your [Spell List], to see what’s there.”  
  
“You are going to help me, right?” his wife asked.  
  
“Of course, but we also have to see if you have the right [Spell Set]. And _if_ you don’t, then we have to figure out how to fix that.” Kirito smiled.  
  
Asuna nodded, opening her menu. “Keep an eye out.”  
  
“I haven’t stopped using my [Search] skill.” Kirito commented.  
  
“Good.” Asuna hummed as she looked through her spells. “Most of these are [Healing] and [Water Spells]. So at least we know then that I am supposed to be an Undine.”  
  
“Sugu, stay behind us, got it?” Kirito ordered.  
  
“But…” The blonde Sylph looked uncertain.  
  
“Don’t worry about it, Suguha-chan,” Asuna whispered as she put an arm around the girl that would be her Sister-in-Law soon. “There’s not much that Kirito-kun and I can’t handle when we are working together.”  
  
Leafa took a deep breath, “Then what should I do? I wanted to…”  
  
“You can be our [Healer], Sugu.” Kirito said as he scanned the other side of the bridge. “We can work out where you belong on the team later, after we deal with this… [Raid Team].”  
  
“They’ve arrived then?” Asuna asked, her arm falling from Leafa’s shoulders and coming to his side.  
  
“Almost.” Kirito agreed, his smile turning slightly bloodthirsty.  
  
“And you are sure this won’t turn into nightmares?” Asuna whispered worriedly.  
  
“ALO is not a [Death Game].” Kirito replied, “I doubt that the [PvP] will bother me too much, but we’ll see when we log off tonight.”  
  
“Alright,” Asuna agreed. “Still, I think until we know for sure, I’m going to try to hang back and not be lethal unless it looks like you are about to die.”  
  
“I think I can handle that.” Kirito agreed, opening his own [Spell List] to take a quick look at what he had to work with. “[Illusions]? I can work with that.” He chose the most interesting spell he could find and closed his [Menu].  
  
The Salamanders had arrived.  
  


* * *

****

  
“ _That’s_ the [Raid Party] they sent to deal with us?” Asuna asked in amusement as she counted how many [Players] there were. “There are three [Casters], three [Lancers] and three [Tanks], not counting the leader of the group…”  
  
“Ten? That will be simple then.” Kirito said, stretching for a moment before reaching up and pulling [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulsor] from over his shoulders.  
  
Asuna pulled [Lambent Light] free of its scabbard and got ready herself. “I doubt that they are as weak as Rosalia and her people were.” She huffed.  
  
“We shall see I suppose.” Kirito agreed, taking a single step. A moment later he was across the bridge and was clashing with the [Tanks]. His assault didn’t last long before he was forced to dodge several [Fireball] spells.  
  
Kirito took a slow, deep breath, smirking. “Hime, I believe you wanted a turn?”  
  
“Indeed I did, perhaps you should say it if you intend for me to…?” Asuna grinned widely.  
  
“[Switch].” He said quietly.  
  
Asuna blurred, vaulted over the [Tanks] and rushed to engage the [Lancers] behind them.  
  
While she did that, Kirito took a few more breaths and began to cast his chosen spell. “Þeír hræða nótt dýpt, renn helvegr!” he called loudly, the [Words of Power] circling his almost relaxed form.  
  
The fire from the [Fireball] spells leaped and began circling him, turning into a fire tornado. In the eye or the firestorm, Kirito’s silhouette blurred and expanded, growing larger and larger, it was only when his silhouette stopped growing, that the firestorm abate. Kirito roared, a puff of flame left his mouth and the sound of his roar almost caused Asuna to falter.  
  
Asuna dodged the [Lancers] and retreated, her eyes widening in terror at the sight of the [Gleam Eyes]. Well, if he was the [Gleam Eyes], well… He was on her side, even if his form terrified her. Asuna scrambled back, dodging under her husband, between his feet.  
  
“Nee-chan, are you ok?” Leafa called from where she stood.  
  
“I’m fine,” Asuna called back, “Can you heal me?”  
  
“Sure,” Leafa agreed, raising a hand. “Þeír fylla gullin öl, helgask allr eitrið, rísa folk!” She called, both her older siblings glowing a faint blue as her spell healed them both.  
  
The Salamanders started screaming and Asuna turned to watch as Kirito devastated the group of Fire Fey. He speared one, slicing him in half with his claws, then he picked up another and ate him, causing Asuna to go slightly green.  
  
Shaking her head, Asuna rushed forward, taking out the [Leader] with a [Quadruple Pain] skill.  
  
The last [Caster] to survive surrendered.  
  
The battle over, Kirito shrank back into his [Spriggan] form. A moment later, he doubled over, putting a hand over his mouth.  
  
Asuna rushed over to him. “Kirito-kun, are you alright?”  
  
“Tell me, Hime, did I… _eat_ someone?” he looked up at his wife.  
  
“You, yes, you did.” Asuna whispered, hugging him from behind, “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this.”


	6. Survivors, Senshi, and Sugou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirito decides that he doesn't like the taste of other Players, Silica causes more trouble, and And fun politics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beḷaku nanna itara ardhavannu rakṣisuttade, avanannu rakṣisi avana balavannu avana baḷige hintirug - Light protect my other half, Shield him and return to him his strength.

**January 3; Alfheim Online: Legrue**  
  
Asuna helped Kirito to sit down on a nearby bench. “Perhaps we should just sit down for a while.”  
  
Kirito nodded, leaning into his wife’s side as he closed his eyes.  
  
Yui and Strea poked their heads out of the pockets they’d been resting in. “Papa, are you fine now?” Yui asked.  
  
“Your heart rate is rather high…” Strea agreed.  
  
“I’m fine; I just need to get my head back on straight, is all.” Kirito said, watching the two tiny pixies as they flew out of their respective pockets.  
  
Yui landed in her father’s lap and with a puff of smoke, appeared as her bigger form to cuddle. Strea followed her sister’s example.  
  
Kirito took a deep breath and pulled the tiny girls close. “I don’t think I’m going to be using that particular spell for a long time…”  
  
“Poor Kirito-kun…” Asuna whispered, putting an arm around him. “You will be alright, won’t you, [Commander]?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kirito breathed. “I can’t believe I _ate_ another [Player]!”  
  
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Leafa soothed her older brother quietly. “So, Aki was actually teaching you magic when you were learning to speak?”  
  
“He was,” Kirito agreed with a sigh. “The more I read the [Spell List], the more spells I remember Aniki teaching me.”  
  
“Do you know what happened to them?” Leafa asked.  
  
“I’m not sure where we were going at the time, I was much too young to have any clear memories,” Kirito looked up at his little sister. “For all I know, we could have been headed to visit Aniki. It was really dark, and there weren’t any cars on the road other than ours. I don’t know if that’s because it was really late, or really early.”  
  
Asuna gave his shoulders a squeeze. “Take as long as you need.” She soothed.  
  
Kirito lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind his bangs, “Someone, a Youma, as I learned later, stepped out into the road, mother, who was at the wheel, was able to stop, but the Youma attacked the car, peeling it open as if our car was a piece of fruit.” He swallowed, “The Youma grabbed my mother, she screamed, then it grabbed my father.”  
  
Asuna’s grip on his shoulders tightened, one hand started to comb through his hair.  
  
“I didn’t understand what was going on until… mother started disintegrating.” Kirito took a deep, shuddering breath. “Once both my parents’ bodies were gone, it reached for me, and I was so terrified… that I cast the first spells that came to mind, which were [Vacuum Blades] and [Fireball].”  
  
“Should we [Log Off] for a bit?” Asuna asked after a moment of silence.  
  
“No, the more time we take, the more time our soldiers have to deal with whatever Sugou may be doing to them. And it will also take longer for them to be ready to face the [Dark Kingdom’s] [Youma].” Kirito looked down at the girls in his lap and gave them a smile. “Thank you girls, but you’d better take your [Pixie] forms before someone notices.”  
  
“Yes Papa!” they chorused, before taking their tiny forms again.  
  
Kirito pulled away from Asuna and got to his feet. “We need to go.”  
  
Leafa took a step and stopped, looking down she saw that she had a message waiting for her. “Onii-chan, Onee-chan, can you wait for a minute or so? I need to check this out.”  
  
“Don’t take too long, Sugu,” Kirito warned.  
  
Leafa nodded, “I promise. Recon sent me a message, I need to check up on him and see what he’s found.” She opened her [Menu] and logged out.

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya residence**  
  
Suguha pulled her _AmuSphere_ off her head and dove for her phone, accepting the call. “What is it; we’re kind of in a hurry, Nagata-kun.”  
  
“Sorry, Kirigaya,” her friend’s voice said. “I was following Sigurd and he was meeting with some Salamanders when I was found. I think they are going to attack Sakuya-sama’s and Alicia-sama’s meeting!”  
  
Suguha paused. “That was going to be in the _Butterfly Valley_ , right?” she asked, to make sure she was remembering correctly.  
  
“Yes.” Nagata replied.  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” Suguha said as she picked her _AmuSphere_ up.  
  
“Good luck, Kirigaya.”  
  
Suguha smirked, “I’ll see you in Arun then.”

* * *

  
  
**Yggdrasil: Sugou’s Labs**  
  
Silica held Pina to her chest as she hid. _Don’t worry Pina… I’ll feed you soon…_ she said using the new form of communication she’d accidently discovered.  
  
Pina nuzzled her, just glad that her human could interact with her properly again. Pina was angry that her human was still trapped, but there was just too much distance for her to traverse to get to Silica in a short amount of time.  
  
If it had been possible, Pina would have gone to find Silica a long time ago. She was hungry, but Pina knew that she couldn’t hunt until Silica was safe. Her Silica hadn’t been _safe_ in a long time.  
  


* * *

  
Silica carefully stepped back when she heard the approaching Mobs. She could feel Pina’s hunger as if it was her own, and it was time that Pina had something to eat. Silica was getting hungry too.  
  
She could hear the mumblings of the Slug Type mobs that seemed to prevalent in this place. They must be the presences she’d been feeling before she broke out of her prison. But now… Now with them around, Silica needed to hide for hours on end.  
  
She was actually surprised that the _Minions_ hadn’t found her yet. Silica had to feed Pina, and then she needed to try to log out. Silica doubted that she’d be able to, however.

* * *

  
  
**Legrue**  
  
Leafa appeared next to her older brother a moment later. “I’m sorry to say this, but… we need to make a detour.”  
  
“How far and in which direction?” Kirito asked.  
  
“Sideways.” Leafa replied, “We need to head over to [Butterfly Valley], the Salamanders will be attacking the meeting between Lady Sakuya of the Syph and Lady Alicia Rue of the Cait Syth.”  
  
Kirito looked to Asuna, “Do we have the time for such a diversion?”  
  
“It probably won’t take more than a few hours,” Asuna shrugged, “I think we have the time to deal with this.”  
  
Leafa clapped, hugging Asuna, “Thank you, Nee-chan!”  
  
Kirito smirked as he took Leafa’s hand. “Hang on; we are going to run, Sugu.”  
  
“I think I can keep up.” Leafa smirked back.  
  
Kirito’s expression went blank, “Then keep up.” He half ordered as he took a step and disappeared.  
  
Leafa blinked as Asuna also disappeared before taking off after them at the highest speed the Sylph could run without flying.  
  
 **Arun Side: Legrue Corridor**  
  
Kirito and Asuna paused when they came to the end of the tunnel to wait for Leafa, who was five seconds behind them.  
  
“So,” Kirito said when Leafa had caught up, “Where are we going then?”  
  
“[Butterfly Valley] is that way,” Leafa said, pointing to the left. “And I really need to go, though help would be appreciated…”  
  
“Sugu, all you had to do was ask.” Kirito shook his head. Then, he and Asuna jumped off the cliff, sprouting their wings.  
  
Leafa nodded as she followed them into the air. “Follow me!” she called.  
  
[[Jetstream Express] activated.] a calm voice spoke in Kirito’s ear, [Good luck Uncle, please… Liberate me from this abuse too?] the young sounding female voice asked.  
  
“Don’t worry Camillia, we will.” Kirito whispered into the wind as they were carried towards [Butterfly Valley] more swiftly than if they hadn’t had any wind at all.  
  
They soared passed the large group of Salamanders that were flying below them.  
  
“Looks like we’ll get there with plenty of time.” Kirito muttered, looking down at the [Raid Force] they’d just passed.

* * *

  
  
**Butterfly Valley: Cait Syth and Sylph Meeting Place**  
  
“Hello Sakuya-chan~!” Alicia Rue, [Lady of the Cait Syth] called happily as the dark green haired Sylph landed about a meter away from the Cait Syth Delegation.  
  
“Hello there, Alicia-chan.” Sakuya replied with a smile. “How are you?”  
  
“I’m good,” Alicia purred happily. “I’m really happy to see you.” The two Fairies hugged for a moment.  
  
“Shall we get down to business then?” Sakuya asked as she pulled away from her old friend.  
  
“Yes, with this alliance, we’ll have no problems taking on the [Grand Quest]!” Alicia agreed happily.  
  
A moment later, the ground shook slightly as three Fairies landed hard not far from where the Ladies of the Sylph and Cait Syth were standing.  
  
“Leafa, what’s going on?” Sakuya asked, concern coloring her voice.  
  
“Recon contacted me not long ago,” Leafa reported, “Sigurd is a traitor. He was found consorting with the Salamanders.”  
  
“Then…” Alicia’s eyes widened, “They must be on their way here!”  
  
“Alicia-sama, leave dealing with the Salamanders, and Eugene if he’s here, to these two.” Leafa gestured to Kirito and Asuna. “Together they took on a [Raid Party].”  
  
Sakuya turned her attention to Kirito and Asuna. “Have the two of you been playing long?”  
  
“For the last two years, we’ve been playing something similar,” the Spriggan of the pair replied after sharing a glance with the second Fey, “I’m Kirito and this is Asuna.” He introduced them both.  
  
“I see…” Sakuya replied. “So, what are we going to do about the Salamanders then?”  
  
“As Leafa said, Leave them to us, I think we’ll be able to entertain you while you get the important things done.” Kirito paused for a moment, “Or you could watch. Asuna and I have been told that watching us fight is like watching a dance.”  
  
Leafa nodded, “It really is.”  
  
Sakuya looked ready to reply, but the Salamanders had arrived.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito took a single step forward, smirking up at the large group of Salamanders. “Well, Hime,” he said in a voice that was meant to carry, “I’d say that this is _much_ better odds, wouldn’t you?”  
  
“Yes, this _is_ much better odds…” Asuna agreed, “For them that is.”  
  
“Hey! I want to chat with your leader!” Kirito shouted to the Salamanders.  
  
“Do you mean me?” A huge Salamander asked, slowly floated closer to the clifface where Kirito and Asuna were standing.  
  
“That depends, are you the leader of this [Salamander Raid Force]?” Kirito asked with an innocent smile that fooled no one.  
  
“I am Eugene, second in command of the Salamanders.” The huge Salamander Eugene boomed.  
  
Kirito grinned. “Good. I am Kirito, [Commander] of the [Silver Army].” He replied, popping his wings. “I challenge you to a two on one.”  
  
“Two on one?” Eugene laughed. “You and who else?” He asked, unable to hid his mirth.  
  
“Me.” Asuna smirked, “I am [Asuna the First]. And I bet that Kirito-kun and I can beat you.”  
  
“The two of you seem like Newbs to me…” Eugene laughed hard and long.  
  
“Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them…” Asuna said evenly. “Leafa-chan, can you start the [Duel] for us please?”  
  
“Uh…” The blonde Sylph looked unsure of herself.  
  
Eugene smirked. “Alright… if you two can last thirty seconds, then we will leave.”  
  
Kirito rolled his shoulders. “You’re on,” He agreed, “But personally, I think Asuna-hime and I will kill you before then.”  
  
Asuna smiled sunnily, “Kill him in thirty seconds?” She turned to Kirito, “ _If_ we accomplish that… we can have some… _fun_ before we log off…”  
  
“I can’t wait,” Kirito pulled [Elucidator] from over his shoulder. “Then, how about we begin?”  
  
Eugene smirked evilly, “Let’s!” He dove for the pair of new players.  
  
Kirito and Asuna dove in different directions, Asuna pulling [Lambent Light] out. Kirito barreled into Eugene and his eyes widened when Eugene’s sword phased through [Elucidator]. He reached for [Dark Repulsor] with his left hand, but he wasn’t fast enough.  
  
Kirito flew through the air and crashed into the cliff. Kirito burst out of the ruble, his eyes hard as he lunged at Eugene, [Dark Repulsor] now in his left hand.  
  
“[Double Circular]!” Kirito breathed, both his blades beginning to glow. At the same time, gold began to overtake the ebony in his eyes as he began to channel his magic into his swords.  
  
The [Sword Skill] took quite a large chunk of [HP] out of Eugene.  
  
Eugene growled, “I’ve decided that I’m going to _kill_ you!” he snarled.  
  
Asuna’s eyes narrowed, “Beḷaku nanna itara ardhavannu rakṣisuttade, avanannu rakṣisi avana balavannu avana baḷige hintirugi!” She called in Lunarian, casting a Lunarian Spell.  
  
Kirito began to glow, his [HP] returning to a green and filling his [HP Bar]. “Thank you, Hime.” He called back to her.  
  
“Anything for my [Consort].” Asuna replied.  
  
“Heh,” Kirito smirked, “[Switch]!”  
  
Asuna took a step, and then blurred, attacking Eugene from the side.  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed as he watched her move, he knew she wasn’t going to win, partly because they were still figuring out the mechanics of [Voluntary Flight], forget about _fighting in 3D_ … They needed to somehow get a leg up on him… They needed a… _distraction_ … Kirito smirked as a spell cross his mind. “Andar um nóttina, hylja mig í skikkju þinni.” He breathed.  
  
He closed his outstretched hand as black smoke covered the area in just a few seconds. In that moment, he left the ground.  
  
The black smoke covered her, hiding Asuna from Eugene and that was the end.  
  
“[Starburst Stream]!” and Eugene was cut to pieces.  
  
The smoke cleared to reveal Kirito holding the red [Remain Light] gently in his hands. A few moments later, he landed, placing Eugene’s [Remain Light] on the ground, where Sakuya used a healing item to revive him.  
  
Eugene gave Kirito and Asuna a curious look as Asuna stared at [Gram], “Who are the two of you?”  
  
“I am Asuna, this is Kirito, my husband.” Asuna replied, “Your sword’s ability seems familiar to me for some reason…”  
  
Eugene smirked, “You won.” He raised a hand, and the [Salamander Raid] all landed. “However, we came a long way, and my brother instructed me to negotiate, should I lose.”  
  
“That’s a nice surprise,” Kirito shrugged, “But Asuna and I are not here for our respective Races. You did hear about the [Three Hundred] who haven’t woken up yet, I take it?”  
  
Eugene snorted, “Who hasn’t at this point?” Eugene shook his head. “What about them?”  
  
“We are investigating what happened to them,” Asuna said. “We have reason to suspect, though we no proof, that they might be here, seeing as there is an area in this game that no player has been able to access yet.”  
  
Eugene nodded, “Count on us to help you then, we were just getting ready to conduct a [Raid] of our own.”  
  
Kirito smirked, “In that case, thank you. Asuna, Leafa and I need to be going, we were planning to get to [Arun] before logging off for the night.”  
  
“We’ll see you soon then.” Sakuya agreed, “Thank you for intervening.”  
  
“Oh, it was no problem, Sakuya-sama.” Leafa gave the woman a grin, “We’ll see you later.”

* * *

  
  
**January 4: Tokorozawa General Hospital**  
  
Kirito opened the front door to the hospital and let Asuna in first. “Well, Physiotherapy is taking just about as long as it should.” He gave his fiancée a weak smile.  
  
“You know that’s not our fault, Kirito-kun.” Asuna waved a finger at him playfully, “But I don’t like it much either. Do you remember where we are going?”  
  
“I do,” Kirito sighed, “I really wish we didn’t have to do this…”  
  
“Beggars can’t be choosers you know,” Asuna reminded him, “let’s get this over with.”  
  
“Indeed… at least your mother isn’t making a fuss about you staying with us.” Kirito said as he followed her to the Physiotherapy waiting room.  
  
“At least there’s that.” Asuna agreed, pausing in her walk when she saw a familiar blue haired young woman walking towards them. Her face lit up brightly at the sight of her, “Iris!” She called, going to raise her hand in greeting before thinking better of it.  
  
The young woman Asuna had addressed as Iris looked up from the folder she’d been looking though.  
  
Asuna’s cheeks slowly went very red and she lowered her face into her hands. “What am I doing?” She asked herself, “That’s _not_ Iris, her facial features are wrong…”  
  
“I am surprised to see how different you look, Serenity-hime.” ‘Iris’ said with a bright smile on her face. “But that’s not who you are anymore, is it?”  
  
Asuna peeked up at the woman through her fingers. “No… that’s not my name anymore.” she barely refrained from demanding that the reborn Princess of Mercury not call her by that name. “I am Yuuki Asuna, it’s nice to meet you, again.”  
  
‘Iris’ chuckled, “And my name is Mizuno Ami, it is a pleasure to meet you, though I wish our meeting hadn’t had to happen in a hospital.” Ami turned her gaze to Kirito, “Who are you?”  
  
“Kirigaya Kazuto, though Kirito will work better in some situations.” Kirito replied, “I am the Commander of Asuna-hime’s army.”  
  
Ami blinked then smiled, “Well, it’s nice to meet an ally then. Thank you for disposing of Kunzite’s corpse.” She bowed.  
  
“Just don’t expect me to pull another miracle by returning another of those corpses to their grave.” Kirito warned.  
  
“Oh, of course not!” Ami agreed, “Even if you weren’t still fighting off the effects of being in a Simulation of Aincrad for two years, you wouldn’t have nearly enough training, or experience to do so.”  
  
“I’m glad _someone_ sees it that way.” Kirito returned with a smile of his own.  
  
“Ami-chan! It’s so good to see you!” A voice shouted from behind Ami.  
  
Ami turned and her stance firmed up as she braced for impact. She caught the human shaped missile that had been hurtling towards her. “It’s nice to see you too, Usagi-chan.” Ami agreed.  
  
“Check this out, it’s something I’ve been working…” Usagi noticed Kirito and Asuna staring and her grin brightened, “It’s good to see you, Commander, Princess!”  
  
Asuna stiffened, “Don’t call me that… Luna.” she reprimanded.  
  
Kirito facepalmed. “Oh dear, this will not end well…”  
  
Ami gave him a curious look. “What does that mean?”  
  
“Asuna-hime doesn’t like it when people call her that, it ranks right under being addressed by her other name in annoyance levels.” Kirito explained. “I’m the only one who can get away with it, because I’m her fiancé.”  
  
“You are?” Ami asked curiously.  
  
“We got married in SAO,” Kirito explained, “No matter what everyone out here thinks, getting married was simply our way of making things official. In our hearts we are married, but we do understand that there is a way things are done. And in spite of Asuna-hime being seventeen, we have to wait, because I’m a little over a year younger than she is.”  
  
Ami blinked, “I’d have never guessed that, with the way you act.”  
  
“We don’t mind waiting, and I have two years to win her mother over, so I’m not really worried.” Kirito shrugged, “If I can’t… well, we’ll deal with that when and if that happens. We are willing to be patient.”

* * *

  
  
**Tokorozawa General Hospital: Psychiatrist Office**  
  
Kirito sat back in one of the chairs in the waiting room two hours later. He pulled out one of the really old manga books that had been collecting dust on one of his bedroom shelves and opened it. As an intellectual exercise, he started reading it out loud, though quietly, in Lunarian.  
  
Asuna was in a different room, chatting rather amiably with Ami, which was a good thing in his opinion. At least Asuna wasn’t going to have trouble with the Senshi of Mercury, even if the others were still up in the air, simply because they hadn’t met them yet.  
  
As it was, he wasn’t sure if meeting Ami, or Iris as she was once called, was a one off or not. “Thinking that every meeting will go the way our meeting with Ami did is probably not a good thing.”  
  
“Kirigaya Kazuto?”  
  
Kirito looked up as he stood, putting his book away. It was time to meet the first of Aki’s very short list of Psychiatrists.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito looked deeply into the older man’s eyes. He could see that this man had not believed his brother; the man had already decided what Kirito was like.  
  
Kirito shook his head, “This isn’t going to work, you’ve already made up your mind about me. There’s no need for me to waste my time when all you are going to do is drug me to the high heavens.” He got up from the chair he’d been gestured to. “You are going to waste my brother’s money.”  
  
“Now see here!” the man sputtered.  
  
“I don’t need medication and my mind needs to be sharp, _sir_.” Kirito stressed, “You aren’t going to do that.”  
  
Kirito swept out of the room with a lethal grace that left the man sitting at the desk gaping.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna met him a few minutes later, Ami standing behind her. “How did it go?”  
  
Kirito shook his head, “That man isn’t going to work, he’d already judged me, and the meds, he was going to recommend would have made it impossible for me to fight by your side.”  
  
“Kirito-kun…” Asuna looked worried.  
  
“Asuna, we all need something, you know we do.” Kirito sighed, “We just can’t be on anything that would make us… loopy.”  
  
“That’s true; it’s too bad this man is a bust.” Asuna agreed. “I heard that he was supposed to be one of the best.”  
  
“Yeah, well… we’ll see about the others, I need to let my brother know that we can’t use this one.” Kirito shrugged uncaringly.  
  
Asuna wrapped an arm around his shoulders and they made their way back to where Ami was waiting for them. “We need to meet with the rest of my Senshi, and seen so that we know who we are working with.”  
  
“I’ll leave that to you then.” Kirito said, glad that his appointments were over for the day. He was tired of having to deal with doctors today.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Minako looked around as she opened the door to the cafe, she knew that her Princess would be here. Her patrol was later so she didn’t have to worry about being there on time.  
  
Her Princess was at the bar next to a young man that she hadn’t met yet. Luna had told them not to call her by her Old Name, so she’d need to be careful.  
  
But then, Ami had called her and said that Asuna, which was her new name apparently, knew their Old Names and to expect to be called by what they all called their Princess Names. At least until Asuna knew what her name was.  
  
Still, it was better for Minako to not call her Princess by name until she got permission. She knew that to do so would be rude. Minako took a deep breath and made her way to the bar, knowing that she was risking a lot by seeking Asuna out instead of waiting.  
  
“Yuuki-san?” she asked casually, walking up on the side that the boy wasn’t sitting on.  
  
Asuna’s head snapped up and she turned. “Inanna…” she breathed, blinking. “You _still_ look like my double, did you know that?” she asked curiously.  
  
Minako smiled widely. “I did actually, though none of the others know that… anymore.” She shrugged, “May I sit with the two of you?”  
  
Asuna looked to the boy, “So, Kirito-kun, what do you think?”  
  
The boy, was Kirito even his real name, met her Princess’ eyes and then met Minako’s, seeming to judge her.  
  
Minako stared back fearlessly and seemed to pass some kind of test, because he smiled. “I don’t see why she can’t, Asuna-hime.”  
  
Her Princess gave Kirito a sunny smile before turning back to Minako. “Take a seat, let’s get caught up.” Then she blushed, “I don’t think you’ve said what your new name is…”  
  
“I haven’t,” Minako reassured the younger girl, “I’m Aino Minako, now anyway, but I will answer to Inanna if you forget. Not even the others know their names… but I’m sure they will know who you are yelling at…”  
  
Asuna giggled as Kathy place a cup of coffee in front of her. “Thanks, Kathy-san.”  
  
She was reaching for her coffee when she realized that it was already gone. One of Asuna’s eyebrows twitched. “Kirito-kun…” she said a bit too sweetly.  
  
Kirito’s eyes were smiling over the mug. “Taste test.” he said, taking a sip.  
  
Asuna’s face went bright red, “Meanie!” She pouted as he held the mug out to her.  
  
“I know that Kathy and Agil wouldn’t do anything, but that’s not always the case.” Kirito told her, “Whether you chose to revive the Empire or not, the food that you are served might have something in it that might hurt you. There are tales of kings and queens and emperors being poisoned.” He reminded his fiancée. “It’s better to get in the habit how, instead of after someone has already tried.”  
  
Asuna snatched the mug a drank from it herself. “No one can if they don’t know who I am!” She snapped, glaring into his laughing eyes.  
  
Minako covered her mouth to hide her laughter, her eyes meeting the owner’s. He was very tall and dark skinned with broad shoulders. Behind the bar was a huge axe that she vaguely recognized. And when she gave it a bit more thought, she was sure that she recognized the man too, but from where or when she didn’t know.


	7. Silica’s Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica gets caught.

**Alfheim Online: Crest of Yggdrasil**  
  
Pina stayed on Silica’s shoulders or head since she wanted to remain close to her. Also, being carried saved her the trouble of tiring out her wings, though she could fly all day and night if she chose to. She didn’t want to leave her Silica defenseless.  
  
They came across someone and Silica pulled Pina closer as she tried to hide in the shadows.  
  
“--All this hard work, to _not_ catch that girl?” said the blond haired, green eyed… person with wings and a golden crown on his head; that made him look like a demented butterfly.  
  
All in all, he wasn’t someone that Silica or Pina wanted to actually meet. And Silica knew that so far, she and Pina had been lucky not to be noticed by anyone, and it was only a matter of time before they were caught.  
  
Slowly, Silica began to back up, this person, whoever this was, sounded to be unhinged, which could be very bad for her in particular, especially if she was caught right now. “Pina, we need to find a way out of here…” Silica breathed.  
  
Pina had turned her attention elsewhere and had started growling lowly. _Silica, be more attentive to your surroundings!_ she tried to direct her young partner, staring up at a huge Slug that would find them if the young human girl didn’t pay attention.  
  
Silica’s head whipped around to stare at her [Familiar] with wide eyes. Had she really understood Pina just now? “P-Pina?” She asked as a shadow was cast over the two fugitives.  
  
A slimy appendage snaked around Silica’s leg and pulled her into the air with a yelp.  
  
Pina dove, taking a bite out of the Slug, spitting out the mouthful almost at once. Yuck! Pina hissed angrily, she wasn’t going to let this _thing_ hurt her Silica!  
  
The Slug pulled Silica out of her hiding spot, “Hey Boss, I found the _Test Subject_ that got out.” the mob said.  
  
“Let go of me!” Silica protested, struggling.  
  
“Don’t bother trying to struggle, I’m a lot stronger than you are,” the mob said, waving a tentacle from side to side in front of her, as if scolding her like she was a small child.. “Or you can, not that it will- yeowch!” He screamed out as Silica surged her head forward and bit down on it.  
  
Silica easily flipped and landed on her feet, before turning to face the mob.  
  
“I’ll have you know that I was level seventy-six when Kirito-sama beat [SAO]! I’m stronger than I look!” She snarled.  
  
“What’s going on?” Came a new voice, causing Silica to turn. It was the person from before.  
  
_This is bad,_ she thought frantically as she turned to run. She only made it a few steps before she suddenly became a lot heavier and fell to the ground with a crash. She heard Pina let out a squawk as she too was pulled down. ‘ _They had better not hurt Pina!’_ Silica thought savagely.  
  
She glared up at the man as he stood over her.  
  
The man sneered, eyeing her like a piece of meat. “Place this… _thing_ in the cage.”  
  
_‘Cage…?’_ Silica wondered as the slug picked her back, up, taking care to keep its tentacles out of biting range, and carried her out of the sterile, white labs. They were going to put her in a _cage?_ Silica didn’t like the sound of that, and… Pina was still on the floor! “Pina!”  
  
If Pina got left behind, what would these _sick people_ do to her friend? Silica reached toward her friend, trying to reach for her friend when the man who seemed to be in charge kicked her [Familiar] in her direction.  
  
“Let us… _study_ how this [Subject] _interacts with the… Program…_ ” The man began to laugh.  
  
_If he hurt Pina, I will rip his ears off and_ strangle _him with with them,_ she thought as she managed to catch the feathered dragon.

* * *

  
  
**Jotunheim**  
  
Kirito and Asuna both spread their arms and legs to slow their descent as their wings disappeared. The view was amazing, the rolling hills and mountains of snow, the ice in the air.  
  
“This is amazing!” Asuna called to Kirito and Leafa over the whistling of the wind. “But it’s cold…”  
  
“We can equip some cloaks when we land.” Kirito called back. “And Leafa, I thought you said it was okay to walk there!”  
  
“How was I supposed to know?” His sister called out. “It’s not like I know where all the entrances to Jotunheim are, let alone would have known about the occasional hole just opening up on us!”  
  
Asuna giggled, she often got into similar arguments with her own brother.  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes, “I’m not blaming you for anything Leafa.”  
  
Leafa pouted.  
  
When they were getting close to the ground, Kirito and Asuna flipped over and landed on their feet. Opening his menu, Kirito tossed Asuna her old [Cloak of Moonlight] as he pulled on one of his heavier cloaks. Looking to Leafa, he pulled another cloak out of his inventory and tossed it to her. From its thickness, it was probably one of the ones he got on the floors that simulated one of the Outer Planets, or maybe Mars.  
  
_This place is cold, but not as cold as those floors were_ , Asuna remembered with a shiver.  
  
Her [Cloak of Moonlight] was good enough, [Undines] had a higher tolerance for cold, after all but it would stand out due to how thin it was. And Asuna wanted to not stand out more than she already did here for reasons she couldn’t quite explain even to herself. Asuna opened her own menu and pulled out the cloak Ashley had made her. “So, any idea on how we are supposed to get out of here?” She asked turning to Leafa curiously.  
  
“I’ve never been to Jotunheim, so no,” Leafa replied. “But there has to be a way out. There are four entrances near Arun, I know that much. Arun is to the northeast of where we were, so I think there are two we can use to get out of here, one that’s west of Arun and one to the south.”  
  
“Do you know where they are here?” Kirito asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Leafa hung her head. “No, sorry,” She apologized.  
  
Kirito took a few steps and gave Leafa a few head pats. “That’s ok, getting lost in MMOs is part of the fun.”  
  
“Not when we’re on a time crunch, though,” Asuna said before turning and looking around. As much as she didn’t want to, she might have to use… _her_ memories. Kayaba had been working on this game, basing it off of his memories of the Alfheim that existed back then… and just might now. But that depended on how much Captain Heathcliff knew and just how complete those memories were.  
  
Not to mention whether or not Princess Serenity even knew anything of this part of Alfheim.  
  
She didn’t like it, but it was the best shot they had in getting out of here in a timely manner. _Let’s see… we were southwest of Arun, and there were entrances to the west and south… if I knew exactly where we were in relation to Arun…_ She started mulling it over, hoping for either a fragment of memory, or maybe a flash of inspiration. Recalling Serenity’s memories wasn’t as cut and dried as simply thinking and pulling them to the surface. They came due to what inputs she received from her surroundings. Whether it be the terrain, the conditions of the area she was in, a mob they ran into… it was a rare event when she could simply pull a memory to the surface.  
  
To make it worse, she could feel Kirito’s gaze burning into her back, at least he knew to be silent for the moment… But she knew he would ask eventually.  
  
_The entrance would be outside of Arun…_ She continued to think.  
  
“Oni-” Leafa’s voice was silenced as Kirito covered her mouth with a hand.  
  
“Shush,” he breathed in her ear. “Asuna-hime needs to concentrate.” Kirito turned his attention back to Asuna.  
  
Asuna looked around once more and took a step to the northeast. She didn’t get a fragment of memory, or a flash of inspiration. Serenity probably didn’t know about the details of Alfheim save for the most general things, but it felt right to be going in this direction. Unlike Aincrad, perhaps what she knew came from maps, rather than experience.  
  
_Better than nothing,_ she thought.  
  
She turned to look at Kirito and Leafa. “I think I know where--” There was a monstrous roar and a huge mob spawned, it wasn’t one that Asuna had ever seen, or Princess Serenity for that matter. “W-what is that?” Asuna wondered.  
  
“That’s a [Deviant God]!” Leafa called, “It probably spawned because we weren’t moving.” Kirito’s little sister sounded quite scared.  
  
“Well then, we’d better get moving or more will spawn!” Kirito shouted as he pulled his swords free.  
  
Leafa nodded as she ducked behind her brother. “We need to leave, why are you getting ready to fight it?”  
  
“Because we need to distract it!” Kirito replied, his posture shifting just slightly. His swords snapped up in [Cross Guard] when the [Deviant God] attacked him from above.  
  
“Get moving!” Kirito shouted at them both, making it an order.  
  
“Yes [Commander]!” Asuna called back as she grabbed Leafa’s wrist, “Leafa, you need to trust that Kirito-kun will be ok, you need to believe it, now let’s go!”  
  
“But…!”  
  
“Have faith in him!” Asuna said sharply as she pulled Leafa along. “He knows what he’s doing!”  
  
Leafa opened her mouth to protest once again before thinking otherwise. She just got a grim set to her mouth and followed Asuna. She’d wanted to play with her brother, but she still had no idea what her brother was capable of doing.  
  
She heard a “[Starburst Stream]!” and then the sound of something shattering.  
  
She and Asuna came across one of the [Evil Gods] being attacked by a [Deviant God] while waiting for Kirito to catch up with them.  
  
“Huh, that’s strange,” Leafa whispered.  
  
“What is?” Asuna asked, turning to the younger girl.  
  
“Because I’ve never heard of the [Evil Gods] and [Deviant Gods] fighting,” Leafa said. “Nothing in the lore or rumors indicated it.”  
  
Asuna’s eyes narrowed, they needed to help one of them… The Reborn Moon Princess took a gamble and rushed to help the smaller, [Evil God].  
  
“Nee-chan, wait!” Leafa called, hurrying after Asuna.  
  
Asuna let out a yell as she attacked. The [Deviant God] turned, attacking her in turn and Asuna nimbly dodged it.  
  
“Asuna, [Switch]!” A voice called from behind them, an indication that Kirito had caught up with them.  
  
Asuna jumped back, neatly avoiding another attack by the [Deviant God] as she did so. “I’ll leave it to you then, [Commander].”  
  
There was a blur of black, and Kirito appeared, catching the [Deviant God’s] huge axe.  
  
Asuna pulled her [Rapier] back and her blade began to glow. “[Moonlit Meteor],” She said, blasting forward. The three hit attack of [Divine Right] wasn’t the most powerful attack the skill had, in fact, it was one of the first that Asuna had unlocked, but there was enough power in it for this fight.  
  
Kirito broke contact with the [Deviant God] and knelt, not even feeling it when his partner used him as a springboard to reach the huge mob’s face.  
  
Her attack, killed the mob and Asuna landed a few feet from Kirito and Leafa.  
  
Leafa was pouting. “I feel so useless…” Her shoulders slumped.  
  
“Why do you feel that way, Sugu?” Asuna asked curiously as Kirito hugged his little sister.  
  
“You are a valuable member of the [Party],” Kirito agreed.  
  
“Because all I’ve done is leave the fighting to you and Nee-chan!” Leafa looked away, “Why did I even come here?”  
  
“Hey, just because we don’t have the time to figure out where you belong abilities wise doesn’t mean that you aren’t valuable.” Kirito refuted. “We will just have to figure out how you fit later. Asuna-hime and I _are_ on a mission to find our missing troops, remember? And you have knowledge of the game that Asuna and I need.”  
  
Leafa nodded as the [Evil God] approached them.  
  
Asuna, Kirito, and Leafa tensed.  
  
“Mama, Papa, I don’t think it wants to hurt us.” Strea said, popping her head out of Kirito’s left breast pocket.  
  
Kirito looked down at his younger daughter. “Then what does it want?”  
  
“I think it wants to help us.” Yui said from Asuna’s pocket.  
  
Asuna smiled, “We will gladly have your aid, but how can you help us?” She asked, taking a step forward.  
  
The [Evil God] began to glow and change shape. It grew bigger and Asuna could see it sprouting wings. Asuna’s eyes widened. She knew what this thing was. “A [Beast God]…” She breathed.  
  
“[Beast God]?” Kirito asked.  
  
“Yes, they are the ones who watch over those that get lost in Jotunheim.” Asuna smiled, “They aid the Fey that fall from Alfheim and ferry them back to the surface if needed.”  
  
“Wait, does that mean that this mob can take us to Arun?” Leafa asked in confusion.  
  
Asuna nodded, “Our new friend needs a name though.”  
  
Kirito looked thoughtful. “How about Tonkii?” he asked.  
  
“Yeah! I like that name!” Leafa agreed.  
  
Asuna nodded, “Well then, let’s climb onto Tonkii’s back and get out of here.”

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe**  
  
“Kazuto, before you leave, I have something for you.” Kirigaya Kenshin said from the doorway to the family Dojo.  
  
Kirito turned, “What is it, Grandfather?” he asked curiously.  
  
“Those Shinai, with how strong you are, they are likely to break if you use them seriously.” Kenshin said, his eyes on the pair of Shinai that Kirito and Asuna had been walking around with.  
  
“I know, unfortunately, we don’t have any other choice at the moment…” Kirito sighed. “I know that we need them for the Dojo, but it doesn’t feel right to go out of the house without them. And carrying blades, even sheathed, requires permits. Even with Shinai, we’re in a legal grey area, since we’re not Kendo practitioners.”  
  
Kenshin smiled, “Bokken are much tougher,” he said, holding out something that caused Kirito’s eyes to widen.  
  
Kirito pointed to the Bokken, “But, that belonged to Grandmother, didn’t it?” He asked in surprise. “Why are you giving me this?”  
  
“Because you need something that won’t break the first time you use it.” Kenshin chuckled. “I have put in an order so that you and your finacée will have one. Until they arrive, you can use Kaoru’s.”  
  
Kirito’s mouth went dry. “I understand, Grandfather.” he breathed, taking the Bokken with slightly shaking hands, “I’ll be careful with it.” He bowed to the man.  
  
“Go on you two, get going.” Kenshin smiled.  
  
Kirito nodded, carefully replacing the Shinai with the Bokken. Then he took Asuna’s hand. “Let’s go.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito looked down at the list in his hands as he followed Asuna around the store, “Well, we only have to get three more things I think…”  
  
“That’s good.” Asuna replied, turning to look at him over the small cart they were using. “I’m starting to get a bit tired.”  
  
“Me too,” Kirito agreed with a nod, not looking up from the list. “Did you get the soy sauce?”  
  
“Right here.” Asuna turned back to the shelves.  
  
“Then the next thing we need is…” Kirito looked farther down the list.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito and Asuna carefully packed the groceries away and left the store. “So, when do you think your mother will let me stay at your place?” Kirito asked as he took Asuna’s hand.  
  
“Not for a while, I think,” Asuna shook her head, barely noticing the blond man with green eyes that walked past them. “You know that my mother thinks that you are a social climber.”  
  
“Which is unfortunate.” Kirito huffed, “That my family might get our honor back is merely a bonus to marrying you. It would not have mattered had we been born to the same class you know.”  
  
“We know that,” Asuna leaned into his side as they walked. “But mother just does not understand yet.”  
  
“Well, I have two years to win her over, it’s not as if we really need to worry about that.” Kirito shrugged.  
  
“And if you can’t win her over?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Then we only have to wait another year for you to come of age.” Kirito answered easily, “It’s not as if I’m going to have trouble getting permission, and I don’t want to cause friction between your parents.”  
  
“Oh, Kirito-kun, you are so wonderful…” Asuna sighed, resting her head on his shoulder happily. Her fiancé was so thoughtful!  
  
Kirito chuckled before freezing in place. “Something’s wrong…” he breathed. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck, his hand twitching towards the Bokken at his side.  
  
Asuna looked up, casting her senses out as well. “You’re right, something feels off.” Her hand slowly shifted to rest on the Shinai that she was still borrowing.  
  
Kirito’s eyes traveled over the deserted street. “Something smells.”  
  
“Give me your Energy…” came several whispers as five Youma appeared out of seemingly thin air, surrounding Kirito and Asuna.  
  
Kirito hissed. “So this is what I was feeling!”  
  
“Good catch, but how do we fight them? This isn’t SAO…” Asuna pointed out.  
  
“I don’t know, but we can’t just let them take our energy.” Kirito said, carefully pulling the Bokken free of the belt loop he’d attached it to.  
  
Asuna switched her grip on her Shinai.  
  
And together, they waited for the Youma to make a move.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward**  
  
“Mars, the Mercury Computer has picked up several Youma in Kawagoe, where our Princess is currently residing with her fiancé.” Senshi Mercury said over the radio. “Be careful if you come across them.”  
  
“I hear you, Mercury. I’m on my way.” Senshi Mars replied as she took to the rooftops.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe**  
  
Kirito caught the claws of a Youma on his Bokken, “This would be easier if I had two swords instead of one.” He grumbled. “I know Grandfather meant well, but this Bokken isn’t right, it’s not long enough and the weight feels off…”  
  
Without realizing what he was doing, Kirito’s stance shifted, he brought his Bokken up, his feet slid slightly farther apart, and his sword began to glow.  
  
Kirito took a single step, and a moment later, he was on the other side of the Youma as it fell to dust.  
  
Blinking not quite in confusion, Kirito took a single moment to look between his Bokken and the _Youma Dust_ on the ground.  
  
Then he smirked. This was familiar, he could _do_ this… “Hime, leave them to me?”  
  
“Of course.” Asuna replied as she dodged another Youma Claw.  
  
A few minutes later, there was only a single Youma left to deal with.  
  
Kirito was getting ready to deal with it when his instincts told him to dodge.  
  
“Fire Soul!” Came a voice from above as Kirito rolled out of the way.  
  
“Hot!” He hissed, clapping at his shoulder, where a small fire had started on his jacket.  
  
“Kirito-kun!” Asuna rushed to his side, pulling out a water bottle as she did so. Opening the bottle, she poured it over his jacket, putting the fire out. “Are you ok?”  
  
“I’m fine,” Kirito gave his fiancée a smile, “Even if my jacket is a bit singed…”  
  
Asuna giggled quietly as someone jumped down from a nearby rooftop.  
  
“Are the two of you all right?” the stranger asked calmly.  
  
Kirito and Asuna turned to the woman. She seemed to be wearing some kind of Miko Uniform, with what looked almost like Samurai armor over it, to allow her protection while allowing her an almost normal range of motion.  
  
“Badb, watch where you are aiming next time! You almost hit Kirito-kun!” Asuna reprimanded.  
  
Kirito put a hand on her shoulder. “We are fine, Senshi Mars, though, if you could warn us next time, if at all possible?”  
  
Looking from side to side and deciding that it was safe, Senshi Mars returned to her civilian form. Her Samurai armor disappeared, though her Miko Uniform did not, her face becoming visible.  
  
Asuna was shaking, “Badb, you _do_ know that we do not have access to armor yet, don’t you?”  
  
“Forgive me, Princess,” ‘Badb’ bowed low, “I had heard that your companion was the strongest and had the best instincts in SAO, though perhaps I _should have_ given you some warning…” She gave Kirito a sheepish smile.  
  
“Nothing that a spin cycle won’t fix.” Kirito shrugged, “Asuna-hime, you need to calm down.”  
  
Asuna sighed, “Well at least we don’t have to replace anything…” Her eyes slid back to ‘Badb’, “I’m still angry with you.”  
  
‘Badb’ raised her hands in surrender. “My name is Hino Rei, I am pleased to meet you both. Though, uh… please excuse my temper at times.”  
  
“I am Kirigaya Kazuto,” Kirito replied, “Though in combat situations Kirito will work better.”  
  
Rei nodded in understanding, turning her eyes back to her princess.  
  
“And I am Yuuki Asuna.” Asuna introduced herself shortly.  
  
Kirito fell to his knees without warning a moment later.  
  
“Kirito-kun!” Asuna knelt next to him.  
  
“It’s nothing, I’m just… really, _really tired_ all of a sudden…” He replied, panting slowly. He tried to push himself back to his feet and found Rei holding a hand out to help.  
  
“I’m not surprised that you are tired,” Rei said as she helped Asuna to support him. “This is the first time you’ve used your skills outside of any simulation, right? If they draw on magic, then your exhaustion means that you either have only recently unlocked it, haven’t used it much, are not used to using it the way you did, or any of the above. So you’re basically at a beginner’s level.” She chucked. “I remember how drained I felt when I was still learning the ropes of my civilian role, and that was before I became a Senshi. Just take it easy and don’t try something beyond what you can do. Exhaustion is one thing, but going too far can injure you, if you’re lucky. ”  
  
“It is.” Kirito agreed as he slowly stepped away from Rei and Asuna when he had gotten his balance back. “And you’re saying I have to get used to it and get into magical shape before it starts being less draining.” He shook his head. “Anyway, Asuna and I need to get going, my parents and Grandfather will get worried if we are out much longer.” He gave Rei a bow that a military leader would give to an equal and held an arm out for Asuna.


	8. Waking the Three Hundred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica sends out her plea for help and gets the best answer. They are all awake now.

**Alfheim Online: Staircase to Arun**  
  
Asuna was the first to step out of the staircase leading to Jotunheim and had her breath stolen away by the sight of Arun, lit by Fairy Lights among the roots of Yggdrasil. “It’s amazing…” she breathed as Leafa and Kirito finally caught up with her.  
  
“I hope this place still exists,” Kirito agreed, “We need to get going, we can’t just stand here after all. Silica and the others are counting on us to wake them.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “They are. And getting here to Arun was just half the battle.” She and Kirito paused in their steps and turned around when they heard Leafa yawn.  
  
“Tired?” Kirito asked, not quite in concern.  
  
“Yes actually,” Leafa rubbed at one of her eyes, “We are going to have to continue tomorrow if you want my continued help I’m afraid.”  
  
“Then, let’s find an Inn and [Log out] for the night.” Kirito suggested.  
  
Asuna nodded, “That sounds like a really good idea.” Asuna agreed, “Let’s go.”

* * *

  
  
**Arun**  
  
Asuna looked around as they walked into Arun. “I wonder if Moira helped Kayaba with Alfheim too, because this all looks familiar to the girl in my head…”  
  
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Setsuna had.” Kirito agreed, sending his wife a look. “Let’s find an Inn.”  
  
Asuna blinked, blushing. “I guess we’ll be testing the [Sleep Log Out] feature of the [AmuSphere]…” She smiled, “Right, Kirito-kun?”  
  
Kirito wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Yeah.”  
  
Leafa pointedly looked away from her brother and his fiancée. When they talked like that… it was embarrassing!  
  


* * *

  
Kirito was at the counter, buying rooms for the three of them when he thought of something, “Hey, Sugu?”  
  
“Yes Onii-chan?” Leafa asked, looking over at him.  
  
“It occurs to me that I should ask this: Are the rooms in [Alfheim] soundproof? They were in [SAO].”  
  
Leafa thought for a moment about why he might be asking before going bright red. “They are.”  
  
“Good,” Kirito said as he rented two rooms, “That means that Asuna and I won’t disturb you.”  
  
“Pervert!” Leafa accused.  
  
“Why, Leafa, I will have you know that I am only performing my duties as a Husband to Asuna-hime…” Kirito replied with a sly smirk.  
  
“I _don’t_ need to know what your _sex life_ is like, Onii-chan!” Leafa squawked smacking him upside the head in retaliation.  
  
Kirito took the hit, though he could have very easily sidestepped or blocked the hit. He wasn’t sure if he deserved it, but this was his sister, and he didn’t want to cause her any of the discomfort that numbness that replaced pain caused. And he laughed, because he didn’t feel any of the numbness himself. “Was that supposed to hurt, Sugu?”  
  
Leafa gave her brother a glare and snatched one of the two keys that had appeared on the counter. “Goodnight!” She said shortly, with a slight anger to her voice that did nothing to hide her embarrassment as she turned and stomped up the stairs.  
  
“Goodnight, Leafa,” Asuna and Kirito called back as Asuna got out of her chair.  
  
Asuna’s eyes became half lidded and her smile seductive as she walked up to him, took the key and made to follow Leafa. “Are you coming or what?” Her voice was a low almost purr that sent shivers down Kirito’s spine.  
  
Kirito was quick to follow her. The very way she moved was a promise.

* * *

  
  
**Crest of Yggdrasil: Titania’s Cage**  
  
Silica did her best to burn the Slug-Type _Minions_ that were locking her cage with her eyes. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but it could not be any good. Once she was sure the Slug-Type Mobs were gone, she sighed, turning her attention to Pina. “What are we going to do, Pina? I doubt we’ll be able to get out…”  
  
Pina nuzzled Silica comfortingly. _“Don’t worry Silica, I’m sure there’s_ something _we can do!”_  
  
“Maybe, but we’re prisoners again…” Silica turned her attention to the game below. “This is bad… We might be out of [SAO] but it seems that we are _still_ trapped in a game. Our prison has changed, but it is still a _prison_.”  
  
Silica brought a hand down in an unconscious motion, out of habit more than any conscious effort, knowing that it likely would not do anything. So she was slightly surprised that her menu came up, with all but the messaging option greyed out. “What…?”  
  
That… demented looking Butterfly hadn’t turned off her ability to use the [Menu]? She sat there, staring for a few short moments as she realized what this meant. Her eyes widened as she opened the [Messaging] option and selected her [Friend List]. Most of the names were greyed out, and she had to restrain an intake of breath at first. They had cleared the game, those on her list were still alive, they _had_ to be. But she noticed a few were showing that they were active here and probably looking for her and the others. “Any ideas, Pina?” she asked, her voice barely even a whisper as she turned to her friend.  
  
 _“Might I suggest Kirito?”_ Pina replied, landing on Silica’s head.  
  
Silica looked over her list and found him. It was highlighted, showing he was active and online, a good sign. Trust the [Commander] to go looking for those who hadn’t been logged off. She spied another name under his, Asuna. The [Princess] was here as well.  
  
“Maybe I should send you to him as well,” Silica mused as she selected Kirito’s name from the list and started composing an urgent message. She finished it quickly, as it was only a request for help and where she was, and hit the [Send] button to transmit it. Lind had drilled it into her that if she had something important to send in a message, keep it brief, to the point, and with only the most pertinent details. “Because then, that madman can’t hurt you to hurt me or vice versa.”  
  
Pina nodded. _“I don’t like it, but I will see if I can find him.”_  
  
Silica lifted her friend off her head, hugging the [Petit Feathered Dragon] to her chest as she moved to the bars of her prison. “Good luck, Pina.” She said. “Kirito is close, and there is a city below us, so check there first. He should be there, and he brought the [Princess] with him.”  
  
Pina squeezed through the bars and turned to give Silica one last look.  
  
“[Queens of Old] speed you on your way, Pina,” Silica said and then smirked, “May the Force be with you.”  
  
Pina cooed softly before turning and bolting down in the direction of Arun below.

* * *

  
  
**Arun**  
  
The tiny [Feathered Dragon] flew through the wide streets and alleys, looking in windows as she flew by, ignoring the startled exclamations of those who saw her. She knew what the young human she was looking for looked like. She had no doubt that she’d find him in short order, that is, if he was in this city.  
  
Of course, if he was in this city, she had to _find_ him. Unlike Silica, she couldn’t use the same methods to check the locations of someone. But she had eyes, she had her ears, and she had her nose. Those would suffice.  
  
SIlica had said that he was nearby, so he should be in the city. She landed on a lamp and sniffed the air a bit. The scents and sounds were familiar to her, but slightly wrong. While it sounded and smelled like one of the… towns? Cities? Whatever. The scents and sounds were close to what those places back where she came from were like, but it wasn’t quite the same. They were dulled and muted, lacking the life and vibrancy that she knew such places should have.  
  
Almost like where she met Silica.  
  
She sniffed the air again and caught a slight change in scent. Familiar. Slightly different, but familiar. It almost smelled like Kirito. Maybe his scent changed here? She would have to check.  
  
She took wing and followed the scent. The worst that could happen was that it wasn’t the male human that Silica admired so much, but it was a start. And maybe Kirito had brought his mate with him. Silica admired her as well.  
  
Pina didn’t understand everything spoken, but she could understand enough. If those two were here, then the one who had captured her Silica was about to learn what it was like to be hunted.  
  
Those two might not have whelped any of the humans in that strange place, but they all followed them like they were the dam and sire of a nest. And those two were very protective of their own, from threats that came from within and from without, like a proper dam and sire should be.  
  
And even if the scents didn’t lead her to the two she was looking for, if they were anything like Kirito and the [Princess], then they would help, even if she couldn’t communicate with them like she could with Silica.  
  
The scent was getting stronger. She alighted on a windowsill and looked into where the scent was coming from and paused. Her nose didn’t lie. This was the place where the scents were coming from. They looked and smelled different, but now that she was closer, it was clear that this was the two her Silica sent her to find.  
  
She decided that she would get their attention. After they were done with what they were doing, however.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna lay on top of Kirito, panting slightly as they both came down from their high. “I can’t wait until we can do this IRL…” Asuna breathed, nuzzling Kirito’s bare chest.  
  
“Two years is a long time.” Kirito breathed as a [Notification] began blinking in front of him and he gently lifted his wife so that he could sit up. He hissed slightly as he sat up and tapped the [Notification]. “Silica…” he breathed as he read the short plea.  
  
Asuna gasped slightly as she read the note over his shoulder. A moment later the sheet they’d been laying under was wrapped around her form and she was at the window, throwing it open. “Pina!”  
  
Asuna pulled the little cat sized [Feathered Dragon] off the windowsill and into the room, closing the window as softly, but swiftly as she could. Asuna said nothing as she turned her attention back to Kirito, whose eyes were hard.  
  
“Well, now we know that Sugu was right…” Kirito hissed. “The question now I suppose, is we should put off going to sleep to retrieve our still [Sleeping] soldiers… or do we get some rest and continue tomorrow?” He turned hard, furiously calm, calculating eyes to his wife.  
  
Asuna looked out the window, up at the [Crest of Yggdrasil] before turning back to her husband. “I don’t think we should wait. Every day they [Sleep] is another day to week that they need for rehab.” She said seriously, one hand moving to scratch behind Pina’s ears. “No, I think we need to at least attempt to free Silica, she might be in reach, though we will have to fly as fast as possible to get that high, and we have Pina here to guide us.”  
  
Kirito gave his wife a cold smirk. “That’s true…” he agreed slowly, his voice ice cold. “That means we need to go…”  
  
He swiped down with his left hand and [Equipped] his [End Game] gear, checking both [Dark Repulsor] and [Elucidator’s] durability before standing from the bed. “Get dressed. I am going to get Leafa if she’s still online and awake. We are then visiting a [Blacksmith] before seeing _if_ we need to take on the [Grand Quest].”  
  
Asuna nodded silently, mimicking what he had just done. “And I was hoping to get some sleep tonight…” She grumbled.  
  
“Be thankful for our [Sleep Deprivation] training.” Kirito grunted.  
  
“Oh, I am.” Asuna said, “I just wish we didn’t have to use it.”  
  
“You and me both.” Kirito agreed.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito took a breath as he gazed up and up and up. “That… is a long way to fall,” he said idly.  
  
“That it is,” Asuna said. “We need to make sure we miss the ground on the way down.”  
  
Leafa snorted. “Nee-chan, that was bad and you should feel bad,” she said.  
  
“It lightened the mood, though,” Kirito said with a chuckle. “That is important at times, even when things are serious. So, how do you want to go about it? Go in, take on the [Grand Quest], probably face an army, kill said army, and then steal all of Sugou’s stuff? Or should we just bypass all of that and just steal Silica from him?”  
  
“The latter,” Asuna said. “We know where she is and I haven’t heard of any barriers outside of the [Altitude Limit].” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “And I might just have a way for us to get past that.”  
  
Leafa looked at her. “Really?” She asked. “That limit is a hard limit, you can’t fly higher than that and your wings cut off if you try.”  
  
“But you keep moving for a bit, right?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Well yeah, but there is this little thing called gravity that likes to grab you.”  
  
“But if we’re going fast enough, then by the time Newton decides to argue the matter with us, we should be high enough.” Asuna said.  
  
“Wait, what?” Leafa asked as Kirito smirked.  
  
“ _Nam'ma mahiḷe beḷaku, gāḷiyante namage vēgavannu nīḍi,”_ Asuna chanted.  
  
“Wait, what kind of spell is that?” Leafa asked as it took effect. She yelped as Asuna shot into the air like a bullet.  
  
“Leafa,” Kirito said. “Just start flying and make sure to miss the branches on the way up.” He manifested his wings and took to the air as well.  
  
“Onii-chan, wait!” Leafa shouted as she followed him. She almost stopped flying in shock as the speed at which she was going up became apparent, with the bark of the tree going past her in a blur. She sighed a moment later. “I have a very bad feeling about this…” she said to herself as she caught up to her brother and his wife.  
  
Asuna reached the [Altitude Limit] first and kept going, with Kirito and Leafa soaring past as well moments later.  
  
Kirito and Leafa’s wings disappeared as soon as they breached the [Altitude Limit]. Asuna’s wings going back to their normal configuration.  
  
Together they soared up, over the cage and the branch leading to the trunk of [Yggdrasil]. The three [Players] did a midair flip and came in for a three point landing not far from Silica’s cage.

* * *

  
  
**Silica’s Cage**  
  
Silica looked up when she heard the hard ‘thumps’ that signified someone landing hard nearby. Her eyes widened and she smiled when she saw who it was. “[Commander], [Princess]!”  
  
“Are you alright Silica?” Kirito asked.  
  
“They haven’t really tried to do anything to me since they put me in here…” She admitted, eying what else was in the cage with her. “But a prison is still a prison… no matter how, pretty and how comfortable the bed is…” Seriously, the cage looked like it was made of gold and the bed was admittedly the softest she had laid on when she tried it out. So yes, it was pretty and comfortable, but she was still in a cage.  
  
“What were they trying to do?” Asuna asked, stepping up to the bars.  
  
“It felt as if they were trying to make me think and feel a certain way,” Silica explained, “But I used our version of-- what was that one term from that English book series again? You know, the one with that boy wizard? I think it was called Occlumency? That’s it. I used Occlumency to protect my mind.”  
  
Kirito smirked. “Good work, Silica.” He praised the younger girl. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a tiny girl that Silica recognized as one of his daughters. “Strea, do you think you can get Silica out of that cage?”  
  
Strea flew to the lock to examine it. “Hm… No, I don’t think I can hack the lock without being noticed…” She turned back to him, sitting on the top of the lock, “What about you Papa, you’re an Admin, right?”  
  
Silica’s eyebrows went up in confusion, but she kept her mouth shut. Now wasn’t the time to be asking such things. …No matter how curious she was about what that meant.  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed in thought. “I can’t believe I forgot about that,” he said. “I’m not sure, but I won’t know unless I try.”  
  
“Hang on, don’t try it yet,” Asuna said. “I think I know a spell that should hide what we are doing from anyone watching.” Asuna got a look of concentration on her face. “ _Namage heṇedu, rātriya ātma.”_ She chanted out.  
  
Silica’s eyes widened. Wasn’t that the basic benediction to aid in [Stealth]? They could use those here?  
  
“How is she casting magic with those words?” The other one asked. Silica turned her attention to the questioner and started. She looked almost like… no, she couldn’t be working for him. She wouldn’t be with the [Commander] and the [Princess] if she was, and she didn’t recall anyone looking like her. Only that guy with the butterfly wings and the slug-like mobs.  
  
Or were they even mobs? Silica opened her mouth to ask who the other was, but the [Commander] beat her to it.  
  
“Silica, this is Leafa, she is one of the [Players] of this game… and my sister.” the [Commander] said, gesturing to the blonde haired, green eyed girl. That done, he brought up his [Menu]. “Now then… let’s see…” He began to manipulate something that Silica couldn’t see, perhaps the admin menu? She had to ask him about that, but more importantly, she wanted to be free. She could always ask him later.  
  
She heard a click and turned to see the door of the cage opening. She took a step toward in and paused, looking back at Kirito, who was scowling at something before he sighed. “Of course it wouldn’t be this easy,” he said before turning to Asuna and Leafa. “I can’t log her out, let alone anyone else,” he explained. “ I don’t have the User Privileges, even as an Admin.”  
  
“But you were able to open the cage,” Asuna said. “That’s a start, at least.”  
  
“Yeah, a lot of good that does us right now though.” Kirito hissed, he turned his gaze to Silica, “In case you didn’t know, Heathcliff is Kayaba. He was the one who built [SAO], and he used the same source code to build this game at the same time.”  
  
“The Captain is _who_?” Silica asked before shaking her head. “Never mind. How is he?”  
  
“Very angry that his [Simulation] was used as a vehicle to kill people.” Kirito replied. “And no, why he gave me an Admin account is classified, for the moment at least.” He explained.  
  
Silica nodded. She could tell that he wasn’t telling her everything, but she could live with that. “So… what now?” She asked.  
  
“Now,” Asuna said. “We get you off the tree and hide you for the time being while we work something out.” She turned to Kirito and Leafa. “One of us will have to log off, contact Heathcliff, and see if he knows what we can do.”  
  
“Um, how are we going to get off the tree?” Silica asked.  
  
“We’re jumping down,” Asuna said.  
  
“Oh… okay,” Silica said. “Wait, _what?!_ ” She screeched.  
  
Kirito grinned as he scooped the younger player up. “Hang on Silica!” he told her before leaping off the branch.  
  
Silica screamed in fear as the wind rushed past them.  
  
Asuna rolled her eyes turning to Leafa, “You coming?”  
  
“There’s no other way to get down so I kind of have no choice…” Leafa shrugged.

* * *

  
  
**Arun**  
  
Kirito suddenly twisted in the air, wings popping out of his back. And Silica’s breath caught as they soared over Arun.  
  
“We can _fly_ in this game?” Silica asked, looking up at Kirito.  
  
“Yes, Asuna, Leafa, and I can teach you how later.” Kirito replied with a bright smile.  
  
Silica gave him a narrowed-eyed look, “Why do I not believe you, [Commander]?” she wondered.  
  
Kirito huffed, “Don’t be so skeptical please,” he grumbled. “We will teach you, after we wake everyone up.” He came in for a landing by the Inn that he, Leafa and Asuna had rooms in.  
  
Leafa and Asuna landed a few moments later. “So, who’s going to log off and contact Aki?” Leafa asked as they all quickly entered, hiding Silica from sight.  
  
“I will,” said Kirito after he put Silica down. “Heathcliff is my [Mentor].”  
  
“We’ll see you in a few minutes then.” Asuna smiled.  
  
Kirito opened his [Menu] and logged out.

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito carefully disentangled himself from Asuna, gave Luna a scratch under her chin and pulled off his _NerveGear_. “Hey Luna?”  
  
“Yes?” the black Mau asked.  
  
“Do you know if my brother is here?” He asked as he got up.  
  
“I think I saw him heading into the Dojo with your Grandfather.” Luna replied as she leaped onto his shoulder.  
  
“Then that’s where I’m going to check first.” Kirito said as he stood up, Luna carefully settling herself across Kirito’s well defined shoulders.  
  


* * *

  
Akihiko blocked Kirigaya Kenshin’s strike, “So, Grandfather, why did you want to do this with me?”  
  
“This is a “Manly Bonding’ activity, and it has been a very long time since I got to spend time with you.”  
  
Akihiko Kayaba had nothing to say to that. But he appreciated his Grandfather’s motives.  
  
Both men turned when the door to the Dojo opened and Kazuto walked through the door, a now familiar black cat lounging on his shoulders.  
  
“Kazu, I thought you were going to wake the Sleepers?” Kayaba said in bemusement.  
  
“My Admin credentials are not high enough to log any of them out.” Kazuto replied formally. “They should have been, right Aki?”  
  
“Yes… You should have been able to, since your account is only just lower than mine…” Kayaba’s postured changed just slightly. “Use mine then.”  
  
“I’m afraid I don’t know your log in information, Heathcliff.” Kazuto said quietly.  
  
Heathcliff took a few steps and leaned down to whisper into his brother’s ear.  
  
Kazuto’s eyes widened for a moment. “Thank you, Brother.” he smiled, and a moment later, Heathcliff bent over.  
  
“Kazuto… what are you doing?” Kenshin asked.  
  
Kazuto gave his Grandfather a calm, tranquil smile. “Getting back at my older brother for making me believe that I’d killed him.” Kazuto turned back to the door, “I’ll have the Sleepers awakened by dinner, now that I have what I need.”  
  
“Have a pleasant spar with Grandfather, Aki.” Kazuto grinned cheerfully as he left the Dojo.  
  
“Akihiko, you did _what_?!” His grandfather asked.  
  


* * *

****

  
Luna jumped from Kirito’s shoulders when he got back to his room. “Good luck.”  
  
“I don’t need luck, I have skill, and the Force is with us.” Kirito replied as he lay down next to Asuna and put his _NerveGear_ back on.

* * *

  
  
**Alfheim Online: Arun**  
  
Kirito limbered up as he appeared between Asuna and Silica. “So, I have what we need, what is our plan for dealing with Sugou?”  
  
Asuna looked around, “Let’s go inside before we discuss anything.” She ordered quietly.  
  
“Of course, [Princess],” Kirito agreed, having gotten long used to that tingle that had made its way down his spine.  
  
“Yes, [Princess],” Silica bowed.  
  
Leafa shivered, unused to that tingle that had just gone down her spine.  
  
Kirito opened the door for the girls and held it for them, “After you, ladies.”  
  
Asuna giggled, “Why thank you, Kirito-kun,” She turned to Silica and Leafa. “Are you coming?”  
  
Silica followed first.  
  
“Leafa, hurry up.” Kirito called, snapping his younger sister back to virtual reality.  
  


* * *

****

  
Softly, Kirito closed the door to the inn room they’d rented for Silica. “Ok, Heathcliff’s given me the credentials to his account. So, are we going to wait for tomorrow or go now?”  
  
“We do it now,” Asuna said. “If he’s logged in, there is no way he didn’t notice. If he isn’t, his subordinates will be notifying him right now and he will be logged in. Either way, we need to do this while we have the momentum and before he can plan anything.”  
  
“My blade is yours to command,” Silica said.  
  
“You’re staying here, Silica,” Asuna ordered and held up a hand when the younger player opened her mouth to protest. “Right now, you’re hidden from him. And I don’t want to give him someone to use as a hostage. This is like when we went in to take on [Laughing Coffin], only with it also being a rescue mission.”  
  
Silica looked at her and nodded in grudging acceptance.  
  
“Don’t worry, we will handle him.” Kirito said with confidence. “I managed to fight Kayaba on an even footing, and he _knew_ the system better than anyone. He created it, after all. The AI that’s supposed to run this simulation doesn’t like Sugou or what he’s doing. She is looking for a justification within the system’s rules to ruin his plans. And now that I have Heathcliff’s log in information and access to his credentials the moment I use them…” He smirked and began to chuckle darkly.  
  
“No Super Villain laughter, Kirito-kun,” Asuna chided. “You are the Big Good here, remember?”  
  
Kirito pouted, causing Silica to giggle.  
  
“So, are we going?” Leafa asked.  
  
“Just Kirito and I,” Asuna said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You’re staying here, with Silica, just in case Sugou or one of his henchmen try something out here.”  
  
Leafa opened her mouth to argue, she hadn’t come this far to not get a chance to fight by their side!  
  
Silica put a hand on her arm. “Leafa,” she said. “I don’t like it either, but this… Sugou, isn’t going to be facing Kirito and Asuna the [Players], he’s going to be facing the [ _Commander_ ] and the [ _Princess_ ] going into battle.” She looked at them. “I know that look on their faces. They had that same look when they planned the raid that took down [Laughing Coffin].”  
  
Leafa blinked, “What?” She hadn’t been there when that particular event had gone down, and Kou had never mentioned such a video.  
  
Silica looked at Kirito and Asuna. “[Commander], [Princess], I’ll explain it to her,” she said. “Go, and get everyone out.”  
  
Kirito and Asuna both nodded and walked out of the room.  
  
“Explain?” Leafa asked. “Explain what? What do you mean a raid to take down [Laughing Coffin]? I mean, I’ve heard of them, they were a nasty bunch from everything I heard. You see, Asuna had a stream coming from her [Nerve Gear], but what do you mean about a raid?”  
  
”A few months ago, we finally found out where they were based,” Silica said. “And I was there at the meeting which planned the raid. I didn’t participate in the raid, but I was there at the request of Lind, my [Guildmaster] to listen and ask questions or point out any flaws I could see in the planning. Not because I was some strategist, but because I _wasn’t_. If I could see something wrong with the plan, then so would the enemy because it was so obvious. Have you heard of the Evil Overlord’s List?”  
  
“The what?”  
  
“It’s a list that was developed before we were born on the internet, mostly listing things an Evil Overlord _shouldn’t_ do, but a few things he should,” Silica said. “One of those things he should was to run his plan by a child and ask if they could see anything obvious about it. If they could, then it’s a bad idea to use that plan.” She smirked. “It works just as well when the good guys are doing it.”  
  
“But what does that have to do with what you said about knowing the look in their eyes?” Leafa asked.  
  
“I watched as they went out,” Silica said grimly. “And they all had that look in their eyes. They were going into a battle against other human beings. They might have said that the purpose was to stop capture them, but both the [Princess] and the [Commander] authorized the use of lethal force knowing full well what that meant.” She had a sad look in her eyes as her face became grim. “They weren’t marching to a normal battle by SAO’s standards, Leafa. They were marching to war.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito looked up at [Yggdrasil]. “Do you want to face the army of Mobs or should we just head up to the cage instead?” He turned his eyes to Asuna. “Any thoughts, [Princess]?”  
  
“Hmm…” Asuna closed her eyes, “We’d have to use the Lunarian Speed Spell again.”  
  
“True, but do we want Sugou to know about that?” Kirito returned his hard gaze to [Yggdrasil].  
  
“I’m not sure it matters, but whatever we do, it has to be now.” Asuna whispered.  
  
“Well then, perhaps the more direct approach is best.” Kirito agreed.  
  
Asuna took a deep breath and cast the spell.  
  
A moment later, no one was standing there.

* * *

  
  
**Crest of Yggdrasil: Labs**  
  
“What do you _mean_ that the [Test Subject] is gone?” Oberon snarled angily as he glared at his two employees.  
  
“We’re sorry, Sugou-sama, but the video feed cut out for a good ten minutes before the picture came back.” one of the slugs said.  
  
“There were three players that had somehow managed to get passed the [Altitude Limit], they were there by the cage you were going to keep [Titania] in.” The other one added, “And when the feed began working again, all three, plus the prisoner, were gone.”  
  
“… _Useless_ , the both of you are _useless idiots_!” Oberon exploded. “And you didn’t think to institute a [Barrier] between now and then?”  
  


* * *

  
Kirito and Asuna came in for a landing by what used to be Silica’s prison. They landed so hard that purple polygons appeared beneath them.  
  
Straightening, Kirito turned to look at the opening in the trunk. “I’m kind of glad that Silica got caught.”  
  
“Because we would not have known one way or the other otherwise, right?” Asuna asked.  
  
Kirito nodded, “Let’s go find Sugou.”  
  
Asuna grinned. “I like the way you think, Kirito-kun.”  
  
Within moments, Kirito and Asuna were gone from the area.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Have you logged into your brother’s account?” Asuna asked as they dashed down the white, domed halls.  
  
“No, I want to use the Admin station to log in.” Kirito replied. “We’ll need a distraction, so that he doesn’t realize what I’ve done.”  
  
“In that case, I’ll fight him.” Asuna replied as they came to an open doorway.  
  
Both [Players] hid to one side and looked inside. It was deserted, but the couple couldn’t be sure how long it would stay that way.  
  
“Hurry, Kirito-kun. We don’t know when Sugou and his minions will get back.” Asuna looked around.  
  
Kirito nodded and a moment later, he was on the other side of the room. The [Admin Station] looked different, but it still worked the same way as it had in [SAO], so it didn’t take him any time to get signed in.  
  
Kirito paused when he noticed something. “Hey, Asuna,” he called.  
  
“Yes?” came her voice from the door.  
  
“I’m going to Ban Sugou.” Kirito replied, fingers already working. “And delete his account.”  
  
“What if he tries to make another one?” Asuna wanted to know.  
  
“I’ve banned his IP, so he won’t be able to.” Kirito answered as he moved onto his next task, logging the three hundred hostages off. “OK, I’m done, let’s go!” he called as he shut off the menu, taking the cardkey.  
  
“Then we need to get out of here. I’m surprised that no one was logged in.” Asuna said as she started running back towards the cage.  
  
“I’m surprised too, but maybe they’ve all gone home, it _is_ getting late, Asuna-hime.” Kirito reminded her. “Once we log out, we need to head to Silica’s hospital.”  
  
“Yes, I agree.” Asuna said as they burst out of [Yggdrasill’s] trunk and both dove off the branch.

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito reached for his _NerveGear_ and pulled it off his head. “Asuna.” He said as he sat up.  
  
Her _NerveGear_ was already off her head and she was reaching for her coat. “Will we be taking your bike?” She asked as Luna jumped onto her shoulders.  
  
Kirito rolled off his bed and reached for his coat. “I’ll tell everyone where we’re going and have someone call the police to meet with us at the hospital,” he said. “And then, we’re heading there to meet with Silica.”

* * *

  
  
**Tokorozawa General Hospital**  
  
Asuna held onto Kirito tightly as he sped towards Silica’s hospital. She was ignoring Luna’s claws that were digging into her shoulders. She could handle discomfort.  
  
Kirito turned to the right, into the hospital parking garage and found a place to park. Putting the kickstand down, Kirito pulled off his helmet and looked over his shoulder at his passenger.  
  
Asuna pulled her helmet off and shook her hair out. “Let’s go.”  
  
Kirito nodded and let her take the lead, after securing his bike.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna’s senses screamed for her to move too late and she was caught by someone she recognized. Her arms were trapped at her sides and the person holding her started to sniff her hair.  
  
She stiffened. She knew who this was, and he had no idea what he was dealing with. His arms felt rather weak to Asuna. She could easily break out of his hold. The moment she chose to, that is. She glanced at Kirito, who was shooting Sugou a glare and was already tensing his body to act. Luna was on the ground, her fur standing on end as she was clearly readying herself to pounce.  
  
She noticed that he very carefully and deliberately kept his hands away from the bokken at his side. True, his hands would twitch in the direction of it, but he was restraining the urge to draw the weapon. Almost like...  
  
“You really should let her go, Sugou-san.” Kirito said in a calm voice that completely hid the fury she knew he was feeling.  
  
“Oh?” Sugou asked. “And what would happen if I didn’t?”  
  
“This,” Asuna said coldly as she raised her foot and slammed it onto instep of his right foot, breaking it. If the sound she heard as the bones snapped under the force of the blow was anything to go by. Sugou yowled in pain and let her go. She jabbed her elbow into his stomach, forcing him back and turned to grab the dropping man by his hair.  
  
Kirito took a step forward to stand over Sugou. “That.” He agreed with a smirk. “Nice job Asuna, though I’m actually surprised that you didn’t do more damage.” He turned to his fiancée.  
  
“I don’t want to hurt him _too_ badly,” Asuna said. “And I broke his foot as it is, so he won’t be going anywhere under his own power without a lot of pain.”  
  
Kirito whistled, “You let him off really lightly then.” He gave her a smile that showed Sugou a lot of teeth. “The last person to get on your bad side shattered, you were so angry, as I recall…”  
  
Asuna blushed, “That was because you were the target, not me…” she pretended to whine as she walked toward the hospital doors, dragging Sugou behind her. “That and the fact that I _did_ want to kill him that time.”  
  
It was easy for them to ignore Sugou’s cries of pain, though both kept an eye on him. They were confident that he wouldn’t escape, or rise to do anything, but SAO had taught them to be cautious.  
  
A few minutes later, someone arrived to take Sugou Nobuyuki from them.


	9. Waking Meetings and Clashing Personalities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They might be working together, but what makes you think things will go smoothly?

**Undisclosed Location**  
  
Pina stretched, yawning as she woke up. Her Silica was _finally_ safe. Now she just had to figure out how to get to her pet human. Stomach growling, Pina jumped into the air and started hunting.  
  
All was well for the moment, in the huge structure that she lived on.  
  
But if she was going to find Silica, she would need to eat first. Then, she would need to come up with a plan of action. Only after that, would she try to find Silica. Maybe she could use those things that the humans seemed to use to get around without having to use their two legs to walk up the structure.

* * *

  
  
**Tokorozawa General Hospital**  
  
After handing Sugou over to the police, Kirito and Asuna hurried into the hospital and made their way to Silica’s room.  
  
They took a pass from the person at the front desk and made their way to the elevators to get to Silica’s room on the ninth floor. It wasn’t as if they were in a huge hurry, but Silica was their friend.  
  
Silica was already sitting up, with her _NerveGear_ to one side examining her hands as if she’d never seen them before.  
  
Asuna was hugging the younger girl tightly moments later.  
  
“I’m fine Princess!” Silica squawked, a small smile tugging at her lips as she hugged Asuna back.  
  
“I’m just sorry that it took us so long to get you out.” Asuna whispered. She pulled away a moment later and let Kirito have a turn.  
  
Kirito’s hug wasn’t quite so tight, it felt more like when one of her older cousins hugged her.  
  
“I’ll be ok, Commander.” Silica whispered, leaning into the sixteen year old.  
  
“Good,” Kirito replied. He pulled away, ruffling her hair as he did so.  
  
“Don’t do that!” Silica pouted.  
  
“All older siblings do that Silica.” Kirito said with a smirk. “And you have a lot of older siblings.”  
  
Silica’s pout deepened.  
  
 **January 30, 2025: Dicey Cafe**  
  
The contractor eyed the little cafe as he made his way to the front door. “So, do you know what you want to do?” He asked as he made his way to the bar where his client was standing.  
  
“Name’s Andrew.” the tall bald black man, Andrew said. “And, yes, I have some idea.”  
  
The contractor eyed the damage by the door, “What happened here?”  
  
“My customers don’t know their own strength anymore.” Andrew smiled fondly.  
  
“I’m guessing you called me in for this then?” The contractor asked, “This is an easy enough fix.”  
  
“Kathy and I were hoping to remodel actually. Refit our basement into a larger kitchen and all.” Andrew replied with a smile.  
  
“Then let’s head down stairs and take a look at what I have to work with.” The Contractor said pleasantly.  
  


* * *

****

  
“So, Agil, would you like to have my guys help you with the blueprints for the sub basements?” Wolf, one of his regular Party members from SAO asked brightly after the contractor left.  
  
“That might be best.” Agil agreed, turning to the man. “Do you think you and your guild are up to building the sub basements?”  
  
Perhaps not quite yet.” Wolf shrugged, “We shall see. But I think we should see if this guy gets back to us with a quote before starting any plans.”  
  
Agil nodded. “That makes sense,” he replied. “Well, why don’t you all have a drink on the house.”  
  
“ _You_ are giving out free drinks?” Wolf asked with a grin. “Who are you and what did you do to Agil?”  
  
“I have him stuffed in the cabinet where he keeps his special reserve,” Agil said with a laugh. “He’s too drunk to realize that I have taken over the bar and will use it in my nefarious plans to conquer the world’s bars.”

* * *

**Minato Ward: Amun Bakery And Cafe**  
  
“Minako said this place was really good.” Kirito said as he got off his bike.  
  
Asuna rolled her eyes as she hopped off. “Trust Inanna to know about all things that can rot your teeth.” she said with a smile.  
  
“You seem fond of Minako.” Kirito replied as he held the door open for her.  
  
“I am, she was _her_ best friend, so the princess’ feelings are bleeding over.” Asuna nodded as she entered the bakery.  
  
“Well, in that case, I hope Minako proves to be as good a friend as the Princess of Venus was.” Kirito mused as he followed her into the bakery, the door closing softly behind him.  
  
“She’s shaping up to be.” Asuna giggled.  
  
The young woman behind the counter looked up when she heard the bell on the door ring. “I’ll be with you in a moment if you would like to sit down.” She called.  
  
“Rauni!” Asuna called before clapping her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.  
  
“Pleased to meet you again, Your Highness.” The woman smiled as she came out from behind the counter and gave Asuna a low bow. “My name is now Kino Makoto.”  
  
“It’s a pleasure,” Asuna sounded awkward as she watched Makoto for a moment. “We came to check this place out.”  
  
Makoto blinked, looking up. “We?” She finally caught sight of Kirito. “Who is this fine young man?” She asked, giving Asuna a sly smile.  
  
Asuna blushed brightly, “This is Kirito. He is to be my Consort… Should I decide to rebuild.”  
  
“You don’t have to make that decision for a while, thankfully.” Makoto waved a hand. “So, what would the two of you like to try?”  
  
Kirito picked up one of the menus from the table of the booth he’d sat at and perused it. “How big are your Moon Cakes, Makoto-san?” He asked.  
  
Makoto brightened up, “My Princess used to be quite the Big Eater, They are very large.” She smiled, “I’ll bring out two and you can take the second one home if it doesn’t get eaten.” She headed for the kitchen as a White cat jumped onto the back of Kirito’s seat.  
  
“Hey, Luna, long time no see.” The cat grinned, not missing a beat as Kirito picked him up off the back of the seat by the back of his neck. “Where have you been?” He asked as Kirito settled the cat in his lap.  
  
“Oh, hello Artemis.” Asuna grinned as she sat down, Luna jumping onto her lap.  
  
“I’ve been staying with our Princess and Consort.” Luna replied as she settled herself.  
  
Artemis turned his head to look up at Kirito, “Ah, I remember Minako telling me about you, Heathcliff’s brother I presume?”  
  
“You presume correctly.” Kirito replied. “According to Asuna and my brother… the two of you can help soldiers suffering from PTSD?”  
  
“That is something we can do, yes.” Luna replied slowly, wondering where Kirito was going with this.  
  
Kirito took a deep breath, “Can you help us if none of the psychiatrists my brother has lined up work out?”  
  
“You’d have to ask Minako as well, if she suspects that Luna and I don’t have permission, then she will kill us both.” Artemis’ mouth twisted.  
  
“We just dealt with someone who was experimenting with memory manipulation on three hundred of my soldiers.” Asuna leaned on the table, putting her chin in the palm of one of her hands. She sighed as her shoulders slumped.  
  
“Is something the matter, Asuna-hime?” Kirito asked quietly. He reached over and placed one of his hands on hers.  
  
“It’s just…” Asuna turned to him. “This is going to destroy my father’s company.” She whispered. “The company that my father had hoped to hand down to Kou and I when we were old enough…”  
  
Kirito grimaced. “Asu-hime, Aki won’t let that happen.”  
  
“I don’t know if your brother can do anything this time…” Asuna glanced back out the window. “Argus is in the same condition thanks to Zoicite after all…”  
  
“We’ll figure something out.” Kirito promised.  
  
Asuna smiled ruefully, “Thank you.”  
  
Luna and Artemis shared a glance and nodded.  
  


* * *

****

  
Ten minutes later, Makoto stepped out of the kitchen with two plates full of her signature Moon Cakes. She’d done her best to recreate Princess Serenity’s favorite treat. No easy feat, seeing as several ingredients had gone extinct, or were at least extremely difficult to find. She still wondered where and how Minako had found the Silphium that was one of the ingredients.  
  
Makoto thought she’d been successful, but this would be the real test. “Here you are.” She announced, carefully placing one plate in front of Asuna and the other in front of Kirito.  
  
Kirito gaped for a moment. “These are at least as big as those Tremble Cakes in SAO!” He turned to Makoto, who had pulled up a chair, “And Serenity used to be able to eat one of these?”  
  
Makoto nodded. “Yep,” the Brunette young woman replied. “Something about how her training always gave her an appetite, I think. I believe that this was one serving for her but I think this is more like four or five servings by today’s standards. Or you’re my friend Usagi.” She laughed. “Knowing her, she will be coming over sooner or later, especially with SAO now over.  
  
Asuna gave Makoto a look before picking up her fork. “Kirito-kun, let’s see if we can finish this off between us like the Tremble Cakes on the second floor.”  
  
Kirito gave Asuna a smile a picked up his own, “Yeah, let’s see.” He said. “And this time, I get half of i- ow!”  
  
“Need I remind you that you have your own cake?” Asuna grinned as she pulled her foot off his toe. “So no, you can’t have half.”  
  
“It’s not like you’d be able to eat it all on your own…” Kirito shot back with a pout.  
  
“Is that a bet?” Asuna asked challengingly. “Because if it is, and you lose, I’ll see if I can track Ashley down. I’m sure she has nice some outfits that I can borrow to have get you try on.”  
  
“No, it’s not a bet,” Kirito said hastily.

* * *

  
  
**February 2; Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Kirito’s bike roared as he guided it down the road. They were almost to the Hikawa Shrine, where Rei lived.  
  
It had come as a last minute request from Minako, but they were almost to the Shrine.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Thankfully every meeting with my Senshi went well so far.” Asuna had said that morning.  
  
“But we still have to meet…” Kirito paused, “What were their names? The princesses of Uranus and Neptune?”  
  
Asuna grinned, “Princess Hathor of Uranus and Princess Nakama of Neptune.”  
  
Kirito started to chuckle. “Princess _Companion_?” He asked.  
  
Asuna blinked for a moment, silent as the Japanese meanings for Nakama ran through her mind. Then she started to giggle uncontrollably. “Yes,” she struggled to say. “That’s what her name is.”  
  


* * *

****

  
“I’m not sure it I want Nakama and Hathor to be there or not…” Asuna called over the wind.  
  
“I don’t think it’s going to matter,” Kirito shouted back, “It _is_ a Senshi meeting, it’s more likely than not that they are going to be there.” He slowed the bike as they arrived and came to a stop close to the steps.  
  
Asuna grimaced as she took her helmet off. “And my age is not going to help matters much at all.” She let out a sigh and shook her head, looking to Kirito. “Well, let’s get this over with, are we late or on time?”  
  
Kirito pulled out his phone as he placed his helmet on the seat. “It looks like we are early actually, so we have time to get up those stairs.” He slipped his phone into a pocket and packed the helmets away in one of the saddle bags. “Shall we head up?” He asked, offering his arm to Asuna when he was done.  
  
“Yes, we really should.” Asuna agreed, taking his arm.  
  


* * *

****

  
Rei smiled when she saw Kirito and Asuna arrive at the top of the steps. “Greetings to you, Princess, Consort.”  
  
One of Asuna’s eyebrows twitched. “Please tell me, Badb, why are you using the formal greetings?”  
  
Rei looked over her shoulder, at the nearby door where several shadows were moving about. “Senshi Uranus and Neptune are also here.”  
  
“And why didn’t you call them by name instead of station?” Kirito asked.  
  
Rei gave the pair an evil grin, “Because we don’t know what their old names are, and they haven’t offered them,” she replied. “To be fair, we never asked. That, and we expect there to be yelling.”  
  
“Ah,” Kirito chuckled, “Blackmail is what you are after then.”  
  
Rei nodded happily. “So, I know that your name is now Asuna… but how should I announce you?”  
  
“Everyone has been calling her Asuna the First.” Kirito replied, wrapping his arms around Asuna’s shoulders.  
  
“Or, you _could_ you know… just not announce me…” Asuna mumbled. She really hated having to go through ceremony and formality like this when she didn’t feel it was necessary. In _both_ lives, if Princess Serenity’s memories were any indication.  
  
“I’m afraid that that isn’t possible just yet.” Rei apologized.  
  
“Just call her Asuna the First and be done with it.” Kirito spoke up. “Asuna is of the opinion that they aren’t likely to behave anyway but…”  
  
Asuna gave Kirito a glare.  
  
“All right, then.” Rei agreed turning to go inside. “Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Asuna the First!”  
  
Asuna turned to give Kirito an icy glare and then stepped forward. “Badb, you did not need to take what my consort said as a command,” she chided in an even voice.  
  
“My apologies, Your Highness,” Rei replied formally.  
  
Behind her glaring Princess, the Consort was grinning, until Asuna turned to him. “If you don’t want to be sleeping on the couch tonight, or have me track Ashley down to redo your wardrobe…” She said much too sweetly, with a cheerful smile. “You won’t do that again, am I clear?”  
  
Sweat went down the back of Kirito’s neck, “Yes, Asuna-hime.” he agreed swiftly.  
  
“Good,” Asuna chirped happily, making her way past Rei. “Just remember Badb, everything my Consorts says is a _suggestion_ , when it comes to my Senshi.”  
  
“Yes, Highness.” Rei agreed, following Asuna and Kirito into the room, closing the door behind her.  
  


* * *

****

  
Haruka leaned against one wall, frowning. She did not want to take orders from a child who would no doubt think that she and Michiru would be better served helping deal with Youma! She was just about ready to yell at Minako when the door opened and Rei made her announcement.  
  
The girl who stepped into the meeting room was very young, and Haruka did her best to suppress the sneer she wanted to give Asuna.  
  
Asuna was giving Minako, Makoto and Ami a bright smile. “It is good to see you all again, and please forgive me if I slip and use your other names. I’ve only just met you all again after all, just remind me.”  
  
“We can do that, Asuna.” Minako replied. “All of us are here, even Setsuna. You just can’t see her until she wants to be seen.”  
  
“Setsuna sounds like a Kunoichi.” The boy who had followed Asuna into the room said.  
  
“Moira always has been.” Asuna agreed as she looked off to the side. “So, staying hidden for a reason?”  
  
 _Wait, Moira?_ Haruka thought. _What…?_  
  
“Why would I need a reason?” Setsuna said, appearing on Asuna’s other side, only to blink as she found the girl’s extended index finger pointed right between her eyes.  
  
 _Wait, did she just…?_ Haruka thought in shock. How _did she know Setsuna would be there?_  
  
“ _She_ has been on the receiving end of that joke of yours often enough,” Asuna said simply. “You’ll need to branch out.”  
  
Setsuna chuckled. “Duly noted, Your Highness,” she said.  
  
“And don’t think you can pull that on me, either, Setsuna,” The boy said, “I sensed that you were there, too.”  
  
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Setsuna said in a bland tone that told Haruka that she was definitely going to do it in the future. The Senshi of Pluto did enjoy pulling that joke on them all..  
  
The boy’s eyes narrowed. “Right, like I believe that, you Troll.” He retorted.  
  
“I’m hurt,” Setsuna replied.  
  
“Both of you, behave yourselves,” Asuna said.  
  
“Of course, Hime.” The boy, Kirito replied with a deep bow that was obviously meant to be teasing.  
  
“Yes, your Highness.” Setsuna followed Kirito’s example, though her bow lacked the teasing undertones.  
  
Asuna sighed, “Comedians… Why do you all believe that this is funny?”  
  
“Maybe because it is,” Minako said drily. “Well, when you’re not on the receiving end, that is. And that’s the first time I’ve seen anyone manage to know where Setsuna would turn up. Serenity’s memories?”  
  
“Among other things,” Asuna replied.  
  
“The Hypersense I developed in SAO, I still have it.” Kirito shrugged.  
  
“Like something you did in a _game_ would carry over to the real world,” Haruka scoffed.  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed. “And how, _Princess Uranus,_ would you know that I’m lying?”  
  
Haruka’s eyes widened at being called by that title for a moment before narrowing. “How did you-?”  
  
“Know that you’re the reincarnation of the Princess of Uranus?” Kirito asked. “Which means that you’re Senshi Uranus? It wasn’t hard. Captain Heathcliff _built_ the virtual Aincrad from his memories, and those memories included what you all looked like out of your Senshi uniforms back then. I dare say, the resemblance is pretty close for most of you. Not Venus, but that’s to be expected.”  
  
“There’s a _reason_ I knew from the start that Usagi wasn’t Serenity’s reincarnation,” Minako said. “She looks like a dead ringer for Princess Serenity, true, but I would have looked similar enough to be a body double for her if she was.” She stepped forward and stood next to Asuna. “Take a look and compare.”  
  
Ami looked at the two and brought up her computer. Typing in some commands, she then nodded. “They both have the same general body type. Mina’s got more muscles due to how fit she is, but even without any real work, they could pass for twins when seen from a distance. Even up close, most would still think they were sisters.”  
  
“Inanna was always just slightly taller than me.” Asuna said quietly with a fond smile.  
  
Kirito took a moment to study them both. “The only way I can tell the two apart at a glance is that Asuna has one of the Shinai from my home’s Dojo,” he said. “Of course, if I looked closer, I would be able to tell who was who fairly easily.”  
  
“Down boy,” MInako said with a wink, only to get a wry sigh from Asuna. “Maybe later, you can take a more detailed look.” At Kirito’s blush and averted eyes, she chuckled. “Still got it.”  
  
“Inanna was always a flirt,” Asuna said. “It was the only way most who knew both her and Serenity could tell who was who.”  
  
“Perhaps if I had a body double of my own…” Kirito mused, “But I don’t have one. And he would have to be good with a sword.”  
  
“Why, scared?” Haruka asked with a sneer.  
  
“For whoever would be my double,” Kirito said. “He would have to be good enough to fight Youma, after all.”  
  
“I’m sure we could find _someone_ among your troops dear…”  
  
“You, kill a Youma?” Haruka asked mockingly. “You’re a civilian. How would-”  
  
“I killed my first Youma when I was _three years old_ ,” Kirito said coldly. “And Rei came in while I was finishing off the last of _five_ who attacked me and Hime. I killed four of them, she killed the one that managed to slip past me.” He smirked. “It had only just got past me when she killed it.”  
  
Makoto and Minako both looked to Rei, who nodded. “Because I knew that he has the best senses of them, I figured I could get away with no warning, but… I got chewed out for that…” She rubbed the back of her head nervously and smiled. “Though, perhaps you should tell Princess Uranus _how_ you killed them?” Rei suggested.  
  
Haruka sniffed. “As if.”  
  
He looked at Rei. “Do you have a place with more open space that someone walking in wouldn’t see?” He asked.  
  
“There’s a space out back where I practice my magic that should be big enough.” Rei agreed. “It’s currently set up as an archery range, but it should work.”  
  
“Then that should do.” Kirito agreed. “Can you take us there?”  
  
“Of course, this way.” Rei led them out of the room.  
  


* * *

****

  
_‘I wonder if I can get away with giving Haruka a good smack to the back of the head…?’_ Michiru thought as she and Haruka followed behind everyone else to where Rei did her personal training. Her girlfriend was a wonderful person, but Michiru knew full well that Haruka had an attitude and often spoke her mind before her brain-mouth filter kicked in. If she even _had_ one, that is.  
  
Michiru’s family had been, while disapproving, willing to accept that she was the way she was. Haruka’s… hadn’t. And it led to her becoming the abrasive woman who was very reluctant to trust people, or even give them a chance to earn it, that she was.  
  
She watched silently as Kirito surveyed the semi large yard and nodded. “This will do.” he said after a moment of silence. He pulled the Bokken she’d noticed at his side out and his stance shifted in a way that had Michiru narrowing her eyes. She recognized that stance.  
  
His bokken came up and he held it just so. In the next moment, it began to glow darkly. He took a step, and suddenly, in a flash of the same dark colored magic, Kirito was at the other side of the yard.  
  
Ami’s eyes widened, “Was that…?” she started to ask.  
  
“That was _Horizontal,”_ Asuna spoke up, “The first Skill in the _One Handed Longsword_ skill tree. Kirito-kun knows and he knows every single sword skill in that tree. He could probably perform every single _Sword Skill_ , but he knows that he has to be careful with his magic usage until his body adapts to it. At the moment, _Horizontal_ is probably the only one he can safely use right now.”  
  
Ami looked to Asuna for a moment before turning her eyes back to Kirito, “If I may inquire?”  
  
“You may.” Kirito said as he walked back to Asuna’s side. “What is it that you wish to ask?”  
  
“How…” Ami paused, “Forgive me if this brings the painful memory to the surface, but, what spells did you use the night you survived?”  
  
“The spells I used?” Kirito asked, blinking. “Well, I don’t feel tired, to I guess I can show you…”  
  
He turned to one of the bales of hay that Rei used for target practice and raised a hand. “Ek skýt tuttugu smár striða.” He called, saying the words loudly enough to be heard and slowly enough to be understood. Words of Power encircled his form, glowing a very dark grey.  
  
Minako’s eyes widened for a moment. “Is that… _Shadow Magic_?” she almost seemed to ask herself.  
  
The Words floated around his body for a moment before they gathered between his hands and shot towards the bale of hay. The impacts didn’t do nearly any damage, because he was focusing on using as little magic as he was able to. First spell finished, he wiped some sweat from his brow.  
  
Asuna looked at him with concerned eyes. “Should you really cast the second one?” She asked.  
  
“I can cast one more spell.” Kirito said confidently, “Ask me again after this one.”  
  
“If you are sure…” Asuna agreed.  
  
Kirito raised his hand again, “Ek verpa einn brandr muspilli, kalla bresta bani, steypa lundr drótt.” The Words of Power encircled him again, gathering in his outstretched hand as a flame burning the darkest of greys and shot at the bale of hay, disintegrating it.  
  
Kirito’s stance changed just slightly.  
  
“Will you be alright?” Asuna asked.  
  
“That didn’t take nearly as much magic as I thought it would.” Kirito replied, “I’m not feeling winded.”  
  
Asuna nodded. “Good.”  
  
Michiru looked to the side, noticing that Setsuna was nodding to herself. She glanced at Haruka, who was staring at where the bale of hay had been in complete shock and decided that she could go over to Setsuna and ask her what she was thinking. If she would even tell her.  
  
“Setsuna, what are you thinking?” Michiru asked quietly after walking over to the other woman’s side.  
  
Setsuna smiled mysteriously, “I have just confirmed something to myself is all, I’m not sure if I can say what that is yet…” She looked at Kirito. “But I can say this. He shows that he has a talent for Shadow Magic, which was very rare back then and is even rarer today. The Princess, of course, has a talent for Light Magic. And her chosen Consort has a talent for Shadow Magic. It makes for an interesting duality, does it not?  
  
“I wish I could remember where the talent originated…” Minako said, frowning slightly in thought. “Interesting duality or not.”  
  
“W-w-what the _hell?!_ ” Haruka exclaimed. “How did… you used… and then... the fuck?!”  
  
“ _Hathor,_ _nim'mannu śāntagoḷisi!_ ” Asuna barked out in a commanding voice.  
  
Michiru turned to look at Asuna and immediately began to revise her opinion of the girl. When Asuna had shown up, she saw a girl and, while she was able to act royal, it was as if it she was wearing a set of uncomfortable clothes to play a role. Now, however, Asuna’s posture had changed. Gone was the girl playing at being a princess. What she now saw was a young woman who was used to being in command. And the language she used… there was only one way that she was aware of that she could know it.  
  
Haruka’s back went ramrod straight. Somehow, she knew that was her name. “How do you know that name?!” She demanded. How she knew the language was left unsaid, but Michiru could hear the question.  
  
“The same way I know all of your past life names,” Asuna said firmly. “As much as I don’t like it, I have Princess Serenity’s memories taking up space in my head. You think that I was _happy_ when I found out who I was in a past life? When I realized that the memories that were allowing me to better navigate Aincrad and its dangers, simulation or not, were not mine? Or how about the fact that I inherited a war that should have been over and done with millennia ago? I seriously doubt any of _you_ were happy about having to sort out where you began and your past lives ended, let alone that we have to fight this war.”  
  
“ _Avaru tumbā keṭṭadāgi nim'mannu paḍeyalu biḍabēḍi_ , Hime.” Kirito said softly with a calm smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Better to point that anger at the Youma and Zombies than our allies.”  
  
“At least one of them is dead,” Asuna said. “You made sure of that.”  
  
“Indeed,” Setsuna said. “Kunzite’s death would have set back any plans they had going on, not that Jadeite or Nephrite would lose any sleep over his dying.”  
  
“Glad I could be of service,” Kirito said tightly. “Just don’t expect me to be able to pull that off again. I had an advantage in SAO. Even then, the first time we fought, he was winning due to his sheer skill with a sword alone. He didn’t _need_ magic to be a major threat, but without it, things were at least somewhat equalized.”  
  
“Out here the advantage is theirs,” Asuna agreed. “But taking on the _Shitennou_ is not your job, or even the rest of the Army’s. It’s the job of the Senshi and myself. Not, that I expect you to not do your best and kill Jadeite if the opportunity presents itself. You have stated that you intend to do just that.”  
  
“That’s only if Heathcliff doesn’t get to him first.” Kirito shrugged almost uncaringly. “He’s had years more than me to get his skills back up to snuff.” He grinned, “But I am _always_ glad to be of service to my _Princess_ …”  
  
Asuna blushed.  
  
“Wait, _you_ killed Kunzite, Kirito?” Rei asked in surprise. “I thought it would have been the Princess.”  
  
Asuna shook her head. “Sadly, no,” she said. “I tried, but I was also trying to protect an ally at the same time. We traded blows, but he ended up trapping my weapon.”  
  
“He was actually trying to kill himself at the time that Asuna and I stepped in.” Kirito explained.  
  
“What.” Haruka said, as if she had a hard time processing it. Michiru understood why. Why would Kunzite be trying to kill himself?  
  
Asuna started to giggle at the faces they were making.  
  
“What, makes you think that all of you, Heathcliff, and Endymion were the only ones to be reincarnated?” Kirito asked flatly. It was as if he was trying to make them see something.  
  
“Wait… Are you saying that Beryl and the Shitennou were also…?” Minako asked.  
  
Kirito gave his fiancée’s lookalike a _look_. “What else would I be saying, Inanna?” He asked, deliberately using her Old Name. He usually used her modern one.  
  
“Are you…?” Ami asked.  
  
“No.” Kirito was quick to refute.  
  
Rei rolled her eyes. “He obviously means that whoever the Shitennou and Beryl may be now, _some_ of them were also caught in Zoicite’s trap.” She hated having to spell out something that seemed _bloody obvious_. “Kunzite’s reincarnation, whoever that may be, was fighting the zombie and losing. Because otherwise, our Princess and her Consort would not have had to step in.”  
  
“That’s… a strange thought…” Haruka grumbled, “But why would they be fighting, shouldn’t they be on the same side?”  
  
“That’s where you’d be wrong, Hathor.” Asuna said, turning to the blonde. “Klein is one of Kirito’s.”  
  
“I actually taught him how to play and use the system before the fun of the game ended, mostly.” Kirito smirked. “Two others and Beryl were also trapped with us. The fourth is playing Alfheim Online.”  
  
MIchiru nodded at that. They had to reveal that they knew who the reincarnations were, but were not giving out names. Even with this Klein, it was only his alias, not his real name, if they even knew it. She did notice Minako give both Asuna and Kirito a look, as if something was just confirmed for her, though.

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo: Kayaba Akihiko’s Apartment**  
  
Lux swallowed nervously as she stood at Heathcliff’s front door. “I hope the Captain is home…” She said to herself as she rang the doorbell. She really wanted to help.  
  
There was a loud ‘meow!’ and the door opened to reveal Akihiko Kayaba. “Good afternoon, Lux, you wanted to see me for something?”  
  
“Good afternoon, Captain.” Lux bowed. “Um… I know that Asuna-sama has a body double…”  
  
“Ah, you think that Kirito-kun will need one?” Kayaba asked as he stepped aside and let her into the apartment.  
  
Lux smiled as she walked past him. “Yeah, something like that.”  
  
“Have you been training?” Kayaba asked.  
  
“For as long as I am able, and I’ve been practicing.” Lux turned to him, “Will you help me?”  
  
“I’ll see what I have.” Kayaba smirked.


	10. Training and Retraining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lux begins her jouney to be Kirito's Body Double.

**Shintokyo: Kayaba Akihiko’s Apartment**  
  
Lux tried not to show the fear she was feeling at the sight of the huge black and white _monster_ of a cat that was staring at her with huge gorgeous green eyes. “Um, Captain, what is this… uh, cat?”  
  
“That’s Ēkate. His name means Unity, Kirito named him.” Kayaba informed her. “Now, let’s get down to business. Why do you want to serve as Kirito-kun’s double?”  
  
Lux bit her lip, staying still as Ēkate sniffed at her and then meowed happily, bumping her hand and demanding head pats. “W-well, he’s Asuna-sama’s Consort, so it makes sense that he should have one. Asuna-sama does… does she not?”  
  
“She does.” Kayaba confirmed.  
  
“Without a Double, Kirito-sama could get captured, and that would hurt Asuna-sama greatly.” Lux reasoned. “To lessen the chance of that happening, He’ll need a Body Double as well.”  
  
Ēkate meowed demandingly, bumping Lux’s hand again.  
  
“Would you just pet my cat already?” Kayaba sighed. “He has decided that he likes you.”  
  
Lux looked down into those green eyes and hesitantly pet the cat that reminded her of the Saber Tigers that Kirito and Asuna had described to her rather than a house cat. Ēkate’s purring was so strong she felt it over her whole body. “Pretty cat…”  
  
“Big Cat,” Kayaba smirked, “He helped to take out the Youma that had attacked the Hospitals you were staying in.”  
  
“I see,” Lux smiled. “I am ready to start any time. I am set in this path, I owe Kirito-sama and Asuna-sama so much, my mind will not be changed.”  
  
“Then we had better get started.” Kayaba replied with a tight smile, “Once you start you cannot stop. You will not be allowed to give up.”  
  
“That’s fine,” Lux met the man’s eyes, her eyes filled with a steely resolve. “I don’t intend to stop until I’ve done what I’ve come here to do.”  
  
“First, we will need to determine what your primary magic type is,” Kayba said. “Fortunately, we don’t need to worry about awakening it, SAO took care of that matter.”  
  
“It did?” Lux asked.  
  
Kayaba nodded. “I designed it so that it would,” he said. “The majority of you should have had it awakened by the time you reached level ten or shortly after. [Sword Skills] did have a magical component to them in the ancient past, and I was able to create a passable enough simulation of them that kick started a person’s magical potential.”  
  
“Oh,” Lux said in response. “I… see.” The _how_ , of course, was a different matter.  
  
“I don’t think you do entirely, but that’s all right,” Kayaba gave her a reassuring smile. “You don’t need to understand completely yet.”  
  
Lux sighed, her shoulders slumping for a few moments. “I have a feeling that that is going to bother me until I figure it out,” she admitted grudgingly.  
  
“Then let’s distract your mind.” The man she knew as her Captain said, opening a drawer in his desk and reaching in for something. It was a large Crystal, it wasn’t unlike the Teleport Crystals and Healing Crystals that she was familiar with from SAO.  
  
“What does that do?” Lux asked as he turned to her.  
  
“You’ll see in a moment.” Kayaba said.  
  
She looked at him curiously as he chanted some words in Lunarian. _Show me the talents of the spirit?_ She mentally translated as the crystal began to become a dusky gray.  
  
Kayaba smiled when he saw the question in her eyes. “Colors and shades correspond to different types of magic.” He explained, “This dark grey is Shadow Magic, it was a rare gift in the Empire and is even rarer now.”  
  
Lux reached out and Kayaba dropped the Crystal into her outstretched hands. “How did you find this, and is there anything else it can do?” She asked as she examined the crystal closely.  
  
“It wouldn’t surprise me if there was,” Kayaba shrugged before repeating the spell.  
  
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets he was so surprised by the results. Lux was making the Crystal glow with the same dark grey. She had Shadow Magic as a primary affinity?  
  
This girl was just full of surprises, wasn’t she?  
  
Lux looked from the Crystal to Kayaba and back to the Crystal. “Um… why is it glowing the same as it did for you?” she asked, unable to keep the curiosity from her voice.  
  
“That is because we share a Gift for Shadow Magic.” Kayaba explained, “Such gifts usually run in families, but there are occasions when it just pops up. Either way, it was rare for people to have a natural talent for it back during the Silver Millennium and it is almost certainly rarer in the present day.”  
  
“Ok, and this is good, how?” Lux asked, handing the Crystal back.  
  
“Outside of the fact that Shadow Magic will make doing illusions easier, Kirito-kun also has Shadow Magic as his primary affinity,” Kayaba said. “That will make this even simpler as you won’t have as hard a time learning Shadow Magic.”

* * *

  
  
**Tokorozawa General Hospital**  
  
Klein whistled a cheerful tune as he entered the hospital. It’d been a long time since he’d seen Mamoru and Mio, and it was only now that he had the time in his rather hectic schedule.  
  
He was headed to Physiotherapy, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to stop to chat with a few old friends if he saw them on the way to his appointment.  
  
In fact, it was quite likely that Bunbo and Mio would be working on their own physiotherapy, so they could all suffer together! Having friends with you made everything less painful.  
  
And Klein wanted to know if Mio’s hair was still dichromatic the way the Kid and his wife had described it to be. That would be fun to see, as it had been a long time since she began to dye her hair. Ostensibly to better blend in and conform to Japanese norms, but with how he knew just _who_ she was the reincarnation of, it was more for survival purposes.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Ami-chan, how are you?” Rei asked as she caught up with the Med Student.  
  
“I’m fine Rei-chan,” Ami replied, looking up from the report she was reading. “What made you decide to come visit?”  
  
“What, I can’t just visit one of my best friends?” the Miko asked playfully.  
  
“You’re really funny, you know that?” Ami said, mirth in her voice. The blue haired woman sighed. “Fine.”  
  
Rei hugged her friend, “Maybe we can have lunch together then?”  
  
Ami smiled, “Sure, why not. And you can meet Mamoru’s fiancée.”  
  
Rei gasped playfully, “That’s right! We haven’t met Mio-san yet!” the Miko clapped her hands. “I can’t wait!”  
  
Ami giggled at Rei’s exaggerated exuberance.  
  
Rei snapped her fingers, “Yep, still got it.”  
  
“You are so bad Rei-chan…” Ami struggled to get out between her laughter.  
  
Rei chuckled as she walked backwards so that she could talk with her old friend. As such, she couldn’t see what was going on behind her.  
  
Ami, who could see what was coming chose not to warn her friend as payback for earlier.  
  
With a loud smack, Rei crashed into the person that had been walking their way. Rei twisted in midair so that she wouldn’t land on her face, and her wrist was caught in an a velvet grip that hid steel.  
  
“Are you alright?” Came a voice from above her that she didn’t recognize.  
  
Rei blinked, her eyes finally falling on the one who had stopped her fall.  
  
He was rather scruffy looking with messy red hair and warm brown eyes. In a way, he felt, _familiar_ but she pushed the feeling aside as he pulled her gently back onto her feet.  
  
Now on her feet, Rei could see that he had a scant few centimeters on her in height. “I’m all right, thank you.” She replied, his easy smile bringing out one of her own. “I’m sorry for running into you like that.”  
  
“Nah, I should have been paying more attention myself.” His grin grew. “The name’s Kl--” He coughed. “Sorry about that, my name is Tsuboi Ryoutaru, pleased to meet you, Miss.”  
  
Rei blushed slightly, “I’m Hino Rei, it’s nice to meet you.” She replied, “Why are you here?”  
  
“I came to visit Mamoru, he and I went to school together before he switched to the Medical Track.” Ryoutaru shrugged, “I was caught up in SAO, and I’m also here to check on a guild mate of mine. He was called Bunbo.”  
  
“Ah!” Ami grinned, “I’m Mizuno Ami,” she introduced herself. “If you were caught in SAO, then you must also be here for therapy.”  
  
“I’m on my way to my appointment actually.” He nodded. “I also want to touch base with Mamoru and Mio.”  
  
“Do you mind if we keep you company?” Rei asked hopefully.  
  
“No, you can stay.” Ryoutaru replied easily.  
  


* * *

****

  
Mamoru kept an eye on his fiancée as she worked through the exercises mandated for her physio. Her new ability was still mystifying to him. Her recovery was progressing far more quickly than it should be. She should still need crutches for one, but she had been able to walk on her own within days, and that was more her having to remind her body how to walk, rather than having to relearn how to or rebuild the muscles so that they could support her weight. “Hey, I heard that Ryoutaru is coming today.”  
  
“Klein, really?” Mio asked as put one of the dumbbells down. “Can’t wait to see him, he’s probably coming to touch bases with me and Bunbo.”  
  
“That’s Ami’s friend, Ryu, right?” Mamoru asked, trying to remember the other man’s name.  
  
“Yep, that’s him.” Mio agreed.  
  
Mio and Mamoru both turned to the door at the sound of it opening. In walked Ami, her friend Ryo, Rei and finally, Tsuboi Ryoutaru.  
  
“Hey Klein,” Mio called, “How are you?”  
  
“I’m fine, was hoping to catch up with you and Mamoru actually.” Ryoutaru said as he strolled over to where Mio and Mamoru were standing. “How are you, Mamoru?”  
  
Mamoru crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d be better if Mio didn’t have to still have Physio.” He grumbled.  
  
Ryoutaru chuckled, “Don’t worry, it’ll soon be only those who just woke that that will have to worry about that.” He turned to Mio, “Silica is already chomping at the bit to get out of here, according to Lind, Kirito and Asuna.”  
  
Mio’s eyes narrowed, hardening. “I’m not surprised. If I _ever_ meet the man who trapped her… well… He’s going to _wish_ I was that Zombie.” She declared.  
  
“Yeah, Silica was everyone’s little sister, even if she never made it to the Front.” Ryu said with a shrug. “No one cared that she’s DDA.”  
  
“You should have seen Lind’s reaction when he learned that Silica was still Sleeping.” Ryoutaru shook his head, “He looked ready to kill someone.”  
  
“And that’s not taking into account what the Commander looked like, or Asuna-hime.” Mio shivered.  
  
“By the way, nice hair.” Ryoutaru said, eying Mio’s dichromatic red and black hair.  
  
“I just _knew_ you’d say something like that…” Mio muttered, glaring at her old friend playfully.  
  
“Well,” Ryoutaru smirked, “At least I look nothing like that Zombie did before the Kid put the body back in the ground.” He snarked.  
  
“I’ll show you, Klein!” Mio shot back.  
  
Mamoru took a step back, holding one hand over his mouth in a futile attempt to hide his laughter.  
  
“You want to make something of this, _Endymion_?” Ryoutaru asked smugly, acting as if he’d won.  
  
“No, I’d lose.” Mamoru replied, his voice full of amusement. “I’d just forgotten how fun it is to watch you argue with Mio-chan.”

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito was opening the door to the family Dojo when he heard his sister’s voice. “ _Ek skýt tuttugu smár striða_.”  
  
He dropped into a rolling dodge, going under the dark grey and green wind needles and lunged to catch his younger sister as her knees buckled under her. “Sugu, what were you thinking doing that?” he asked, a bit more harshly than he really intended to.  
  
Suguha sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes, “Why are you so mean?”  
  
“Sugu, you need to be careful!” Kirito said as he pulled her back to her feet. “You need to be careful of the spells that you cast, because until you get used to casting, even the most basic of spell are very draining.” He held her there, against his side since her legs were still shaky.  
  
Asuna poked her head into the Dojo, “Kirito-kun, what’s going on here?”  
  
“Sugu was emulating me in the recklessness department,” Kirito replied, turning back to his sister. “What were you thinking?”  
  
“Well, Aki said that ALO was also a simulation to teach magic and I wanted to…” Suguha bit her lip. “I wanted to see if I could do it.”  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed. “I think it’s time we went to visit Aki then.”  
  
“Is there enough room on your bike for the three of us?” Asuna asked curiously.  
  
“I’m sure there’s something we can hook up if there isn’t.” Kirito replied, “I think I saw dad place a sidecar next to my bike…”

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
Kirito turned into Akihiko’s apartment parking garage, and came to a stop as the second parking spot that belonged to his brother’s apartment and parked. “Still feeling dizzy, Sugu?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I’m fine now,” Suguha protested as he helped her out of the sidecar. “I’m not some china doll, Kazuto!”  
  
“Let’s hurry, shall we?” Asuna asked as she dismounted the bike and put her helmet into one of the saddlebags. She caught Kirito’s and then Suguha’s helmets when they were tossed to her and put them away as well.  
  
“Ok, let’s head inside.” Kirito said, keeping an arm around his younger sister, just to make sure that she wouldn’t fall down.  
  
“Onii-chan, quit it, I’m fine!” Suguha grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
“I am your older brother, it’s my job to look after you.” Kirito said shortly as they entered the apartment building.  
  
“So, which floor does Aki live on, Kirito-kun?” Asuna asked.  
  
“He lives on,” Kirito chuckled, “Floor thirteen.”  
  
Asuna blinked, giggling at the thought. “So he lives on the Earth Floor?”  
  
“Something like that.” Kirito agreed with a grin as they came up to the elevator. “Well, at least we don’t have to walk all the way up to his apartment. we can just take the elevator.” He reached over and pressed the UP button. “Let’s hope that we don’t have to share the elevator with anyone. Because then we can’t just chat on our way up.” Kirito relaxed, “Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait too long.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kayaba looked away from Lux when he heard a knock at the door. “Continue practicing, Lux, I’ll be right back.”  
  
“Yes sir.” said Lux, who now looked like she could have been Kirito’s sister. Her hair was still long and slightly wavy, but with further practice, she’d be able to use Illusion magic to change that too.  
  
_Or she could go to a hair stylist and do it that way_ , Kayaba thought. _One less detail to add to the illusion, which would be helpful. Illusions always work best when they don’t have to make too many changes. Changing her apparent gender will take much more time and work, though. Especially with how developed she is in the chest. I’m fairly sure that I overheard several of the female players wonder what she has been feeding them._  
  
Ēkate followed his master to the door and started meowing loudly when he caught the scent of his younger master on the other side of the door. Kayaba eyed his cat and grinned. Pulling the chain out of the door and undoing the lock, he positioned himself so that he would be behind the door.  
  
He wanted to see Ēkate pounce on his younger brother.  
  
Kayaba looked out the peephole, just to make sure that it was his brother, and then pulled the door open.  
  
Before any of the three standing on the other side of the door could move, Ēkate had pounced on the only boy. He chuckled at the yelp and the sudden crash as he fell to the floor.  
  
“Ēkate! Get off, you’re _heavy_!” Kirito shoved at the cat laying on his chest with the smuggest expression he’d ever seen on a feline. “Did you get fat while I was away?”  
  
Ēkate meowed happily, ignoring Kirito’s tone and started to lick his face.  
  
Finally, Kirito managed to shove the cat off his chest and away from his face. “Ow.” The cheek Ēkate had been licking was red, “Your tongue is too rough for that anymore…” He muttered, glaring up at his brother when he heard the man’s laughter.  
  
Asuna was staring at Ēkate as if she was seeing something that she shouldn’t be. “K-Katti Bekku…” She breathed.  
  
Kirito’s head snapped in her direction. “ _What_? There’s _no way_ Ēkate can be an Aincrad Sabercat!”  
  
Asuna slowly reached out with her hand and let Ēkate sniff her. Their eyes met, and after a moment, Ēkate purred, bumping Asuna’s hand. “Ēkate is a domesticated Katti Bekku,” She explained softly, “They were known for being fiercely loyal to their owners. And, unlike normal cats, they can be trained. I know that they were used in the palace as guard animals, because Serenity helped to raise one before she was taken to Aincrad for training.”  
  
“But then, how did Ēkate get to Earth?” Kirito asked as he got back to his feet.  
  
“A breeding population must have been brought here before The Fall.” Asuna replied.  
  
“Huh…” Kirito sighed, sending his brother another glare.  
  
Akihiko grinned. “Come in you three, what can I help you with?” He asked after closing the door behind his three latest visitors.  
  
Kirito rounding on him, “Did you know that Sugu was practicing magic _unsupervised?_ ” he asked angrily. “I’ve had Mars tell me that using too much magic at once is dangerous, but Sugu doesn’t know that yet.” His eyes narrowed, “Why didn’t you warn her, since she _knows_ what Alfheim is for?”  
  
Akihiko turned to Suguha. “Is that true, Sugu?” He asked.  
  
“Well, yes, I wanted to see if I could do it.” Suguha explained.  
  
“That was a very dangerous thing to do Sugu, magic is very draining until you get used to casting, and I should have warned you.” Kayaba sighed, “You could have hurt yourself very badly, had Kazu not caught you when he did. Not even the best Mages practiced on their own before The Fall. Don’t do that again.”  
  
Suguha pouted. “But I was fine!”  
  
“No you weren’t.” Kirito replied a little more harshly than intended, “You were about to fall on your face Sugu!”  
  
“What spell was it, and what color?” Kayaba asked.  
  
“It was just the basic Wind Needle spell,” Suguha replied. “If I could do it, good. If not, then I wouldn’t try anything more advanced.”  
  
“And the color?” Kayaba asked.  
  
“It was a dark grey with hints of green, Aki,” Kirito replied.  
  
“…Yes… definitely runs in the family…” Kayaba sighed. Why, if Shadow Magic was so rare, were there _four_ Shadow Mages in this room? “You would have more luck with Illusion spells at this point Sugu.”  
  
Suguha pouted, “But I don’t know any of those spells…”  
  
Kayaba shook his head in resignation “So she went for the spells that she had knowledge of, not to mention a more immediate utility, _gamers_ ,” he said to himself and sighed. He wasn’t surprised by this revelation. “Most people went for the flashy stuff, rather than the subtle in the present. Not that it was much different in the past, if Heathcliff’s memories are anything to go by.” He chuckled. “He learned the hard way in a training op, which was the point. Better to get a bruised ego, and bruises, in training rather than actual combat.”  
  
“Captain, I thought you said Shadow Magic was _rare_ …” Came a quiet voice from the living room.  
  
Kirito’s eyes widened when he saw a young woman who could almost pass as his sister sitting in one of the arm chairs. Her hair, was what clued him in to who this might be. “ _Lux_? _What are you doing here, and_ why _do you look like that?”_  
  
Lux smiled, “Hello, Commander.” She bowed in deference. How to explain herself? “Asuna-sama has Senshi Venus, right?”  
  
“Yes.” Asuna replied, her eyes widening in realization. “You don’t want Kirito-kun to be without the same type of protection!”  
  
“You’ve got it, Asuna-sama!” Lux grinned happily. “I was just trying to think of a name to use…”  
  
Asuna smirked, “I think I know, you are Kuro, because Kirito-kun is the _Kuro no Kenshin_.” She looked very pleased with herself.  
  
Kirito groaned at Asuna’s reasoning. “ _Asuna-hime_ …” He gave her a frustrated glare.  
  
Lux grinned, “I like that name, thank you, Asuna-hime.” The girl bowed to her Princess before sitting back down and letting the magic fade away. The blonde girl let out a tired breath. “You weren’t joking about how tired I would be after that, Captain.”  
  
“Are you alright, Lux?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I’m fine, Commander,” Lux waved him off, “That was my first shot at a spell, so I’m feeling drained. I was warned about it, which is why I was sitting down.”  
  


* * *

****

  
He was very pleased indeed when Playful Kitten appeared at the door to Source of Food’s dwelling. He was sure that Playful Kitten would need Grooming, since Playful Kitten obviously didn’t know how to do it himself.  
  
He pounced once the door opened. Playful Kitten had gotten quite big… but Ēkate knew that Playful Kitten was only half grown, if that. Besides that, Playful Kitten was still just a kitten.  
  
Ēkate purred deeply, even as Playful Kitten got out from underneath him and he followed Playful Kitten back into Source of Food’s home. He wasn’t familiar with either of the females that were with Playful Kitten, but one smelled… like the Moon…  
  
He bumped against Queen Who Smells of the Moon. There were faint traces of Playful Kitten’s scent on her. The other female smelled more like, but not of, Playful Kitten, a littermate? But Playful Kitten and Source of Food were the only littermates he knew of. Maybe she was born from the Littermate of both Playful Kitten and Source of Food’s Dam? She smelled of wind and the shadows, good smells to have. Fast and nimble like the wind, and able to strike without warning from the shadows. She would make a good Queen to birth strong kittens.  
  
The Moon-scented one… she was, or to be more accurate, _would be_ , Playful Kitten’s Queen, he could tell. They were both too young to establish their own Pride. Old enough to have kittens of their own, but not yet old enough to properly _raise_ them. And they seemed to know that, or he would be smelling both of their scents on the other far more strongly than he did.  
  
He would know, since the scent Source of Food’s mate was strong on him, and the other way around. Now, if those two would start having kittens of their own to raise.  
  
He was silent as Playful Kitten growled at Source of Food, the irritation and anger apparent on his scent. They both made their vocalizations to each other, with the other Queens offering their own. He only understood a little, but he could grasp the tones of the vocalizations. Source of Food looked at the one who smelled of wind and shadow… Shaded Wind, that was a good way to see her. Source of Food vocalized something to her, and from the tone, he was going to teach her something, like an older Tom should when he is not having to establish dominance.  
  
Something Shaded Wind had done had _scared_ Playful Kitten… That was never good. Perhaps he should give Source of Food some help.


	11. Surprising Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something surprising is uncovered.

**Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
Suguha pouted as Kazuto pushed her onto Aki’s overstuffed armchair. “I told you already, Onii-chan, _I’m fine_!” She made to get up, but found that she couldn’t because her older brother’s half grown _tiger_ had jumped up and settled into her lap.  
  
Kazuto smirked, “Good job, Ēkate,” he praised, “We don’t want Sugu getting back up, do we?”  
  
Ēkate purred deeply, looking rather smug.  
  
Aki smiled, “I’ll be right back, there are a few tools I need, if I’m to give you three a basic lesson.” He turned and went to his desk.  
  
“Are you getting that Crystal back out?” Lux called after him.  
  
“Yes.” Aki told her, “And perhaps one more thing.”  
  
Ēkate meowed, nuzzling her and Suguha sighed. “I hate you both right now, Onii-chan…” She mumbled her pout deepening.  
  
“Sugu, before we were attacked by a Youma when out shopping, I have never used magic out here and the last time I ever used any was when I was _three_.” Kazuto stressed. “But I _still_ limited myself to the most basic of _Sword Skills_ because I didn’t know what I could handle. And I _still_ might have ended up hurting myself, had Senshi Mars not stepped in when she did.” His tone was lecturing. “Besides that, _I was not alone when it happened._ ”  
  
“And you shouldn’t, ever try practicing on your own again.” Asuna said quietly, “The Moon Princess never did. She always had one of her tutors, her mother, or Heathcliff there when she practiced.”  
  
“You’re no fun Nee-chan…” Suguha grumbled.  
  
Asuna leaned in close to Suguha, “Magic is _serious business,_ Little Sister.”  
  
Aki appeared over Asuna’s shoulder. “Enough, Asuna-kun.” He said, placing a large Crystal and one other thing on the coffee table.  
  
Kazuto picked up the Crystal, “I’m guessing that this will tell us what branch of magic we have a talent for?” He asked.  
  
“That’s exactly what it does.” Asuna said before Aki could even open his mouth. “Aki knows the spell to activate it, since he was once Heathcliff.”  
  
“I wonder what my main talent is then…” Kazuto said curiously.  
  
Asuna grinned, “Let’s find out…” She cast the spell, “ _Ātmada pratibheyannu nanage tōrisu_.”  
  
Kirito’s eyes widened as the Crystal began to glow a dark grey. “What do the colors mean?”  
  
Asuna turned to Aki.  
  
He smiled, “Shadow Magic tends to run in families. Hand the Crystal to Sugu, let’s see what her talents are.”  
  
When Suguha took the Crystal, which stayed a dark grey, and developed hints of green. “Ok… So what’s the green mean?” she asked, handing Asuna the still active Crystal.  
  
“Green is the color of Wind Magic.” Asuna explained as the Crystal began to glow a bright white. “And white, of course indicates Light Magic.” She stopped the spell and placed the Crystal back on the coffee table.  
  
“The Illusion Spell that consumes the least amount of magic is a spell that generates a light that only the caster, and party members, can use to see.” Aki told them. “The words are: _Laiṭ lārḍ, kattaleya mūlaka nam'ma mārgavannu gilḍ_.”  
  
“Lord of Light, Guide our path through the darkness?” Kazuto asked curiously.  
  
Aki nodded. “Kazu, try casting the spell.”  
  
Kazuto took a deep breath as he extended his hand, palm facing the ceiling. He reached for the energy that he’d touched when fighting the Youma, and then with his demonstration to the Senshi. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t know what his magic felt like; it was that he was having a hard time finding his magic.  
  
“Finding my magic shouldn’t be this hard…” he grumbled.  
  
“What was your mindset when you faced that Youma, or when you gave that demonstration to the Senshi?” Asuna asked.  
  
Kazuto paused and thought for a moment, before he nodded. “Right,” he said as his expression changed. “ _Laiṭ lārḍ, kattaleya mūlaka nam'ma mārgavannu gilḍ._ ” He said and then a light appeared in front of him, softly illuminating the area.  
  
“I see,” Kayaba said quietly. “It makes sense, as well.”  
  
“What makes sense?” Suguha asked.  
  
“A combat mindset,” Asuna said.  
  
“Which will have to be trained out of everyone who has been through SAO,” Kayaba said. “I wanted both SAO and ALO to be run concurrently, with players going between them, partially for this reason. SAO to emphasize the combat skills, ALO to emphasize the magic and using it for things both within and outside of combat.”  
  
“It’s a bad habit,” Asuna agreed. “But it is one that we had no choice but to develop, given our circumstances.”  
  
Kirito closed his hand, extinguishing the light. “But, how do we train ourselves out of it?” He asked, “I get the feeling that just playing ALO isn’t going to cut it…”  
  
“But it will help,” Kayaba said. “If only in getting you used to using magic, even if it’s only simulated there, outside of combat.”  
  
Kirito turned slightly green as he remembered what his first experience with Illusion Magic had been, Shapeshifting. “There is one spell that I don’t think I ever want to actually use…”  
  
Both Suguha and Asuna blinked and then winced as they recalled what spell he was referring to.  
  
“Yeah,” Suguha said.  
  
“We both _saw_ why, Sugu,” Asuna said. “And I can imagine how it was from his perspective.”  
  
“Care to explain?”  
  
“Shapeshifting,” Asuna said. “Gleam Eyes. And just as bad tempered… and hungry.” She turned green.  
  
“Pardon?” Kayaba asked, confused.  
  
Kirito shivered, “I _ate_ someone, Aki. _Never again_ …” Kirito shook his head, “I think… I _hope_ I never have to actually use that spell.”  
  
“Wait… You did _what?_ ” Aki asked, his tone in disbelieving shock.  
  
Kazuto’s mouth twisted as he sat on one of the couches, not reacting when Ēkate jumped into his lap, nuzzling his face gently. Finally, Kazuto hugged the huge cat. “I used the Shapeshifting Spell against a Salamander Raid Team and turned into the Gleam Eyes. I _know_ that the other Player is fine but… I ended up _eating one of them!_ ”  
  
“You… _ate_ a Salamander?” Aki asked, not sure that he had heard Kazuto correctly. When Kazuto nodded, he sighed. “I can see why you would be… reluctant to use that spell then.” _Heathcliff never had to deal with this, as far as I know,_ he thought. _Then again, he might have heard about someone doing so in the Silver Millennium’s past, but that memory is either not there, or simply hasn’t come forward yet. And Serenity was fond of that spell…_  
  
“It’s too bad,” Asuna said, smiling awkwardly. “The Shapeshifting spell was one of _Her_ favorite ones to use in her downtime. I _think_ she was a Feathered Dragon, but nothing has come up to remind me of…” She blinked. “Oh… now there is. _What_?! That’s one way to learn the... _ewww…_ ”  
  
“Asuna?” Kazuto asked.  
  
“If Aincrad’s around, she might have some descendants,” Asuna said.  
  
Aki blinked and then turned green as a memory came to him. “Oh, right,” he said. “She stayed in that form for a while and… oh my. So _that’s_ why her mother was so amused and mentioned that she was keeping with family ‘tradition…’”  
  
Suguha and Kazuto shared a confused glance.  
  
“Had to teach them how to fly and hunt, all while learning the latter,” Asuna murmured. “They were adorable though. Blue and silver feathers. If Pina was real, she could have easily fit in with them.”  
  
“Silica’s Pina?” Kazuto asked, unable to keep his confused amusement to himself. “Her adorable… _blue_ Feathered Dragon? Why Asuna, naughty, naughty.”  
  
“Well,” Asuna said with a smirk. “He _did_ have some fetching dark blue plumage. And Kirito, I _will_ put you into a dress, a nice ball gown, or maybe a Gothic Lolita dress, with all the accessories if this gets out. And parade you in front of _everyone_.”  
  
“Why would I reveal _this_?” Kirito asked daringly. “Personal blackmail _is_ a thing you know…”  
  
“Gothic Lolita, with stockings, pumps, _and_ undergarments it is, then,” Asuna said. “I’m sure I can track Ashley down and have her make something appropriate. She should know your measurements.”  
  
Suguha started giggling uncontrollably.  
  
Lux joined her. “Oh my, he would look so _adorable_.” She said.  
  
“You looked quite lovely in my KoB uniform if I’m remembering correctly…” Asuna thought back to her birthday in SAO.  
  
Kazuto raised his hands up. “Now, now, Asu-hime, we don’t need to go there,” he said hastily.  
  
“Oh really?” She asked with a smirk. “If only you’d been a Feathered Dragon…” Asuna sighed.  
  
Aki was shaking his head. “It is unlikely that you would really be Gleam Eyes,” He said, finally wrapping his head around the scene in front of him. “While your numbers in game would allow it… there has been no soldier; that Heathcliff knows of, that has actually taken that form, they just didn’t have the magical reserves for it. Not to mention that the level of mastery would require you to be of Magister level, to begin with.”  
  
“Well, that’s a relief then.” Kazuto sighed, “I’d hate to actually eat someone…”  
  
“I think I should end the lesson here then.” Aki said as he got up, “Would any of you like something to eat?”  
  
Everyone present groaned at the question.  
  
“Captain, that was bad and you should feel bad,” Asuna said. At the sound of a couple of growling grumbles, she and Kirito looked sheepish. “That being said, I can use a snack. You think we should pick up some Onigiri?”  
  
“Why bother? I _should_ have something in the kitchen…”

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Klein yawned as he and Dynamm entered the Dicey Cafe. “Hey Agil.” Klein called to the man behind the counter.  
  
“I suppose you’re back from your physio session?” Agil asked, not looking up from what he was working on.  
  
Klein’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the Axe hanging on the wall. “What’s _Nephrite’s favorite Axe_ doing hanging on your wall Agil!?” He asked.  
  
Agil blinked, finally looking up at Klein and then looked to the Axe hanging behind him. “It’s my Axe, what about it?” he asked, as if the Axe had always been there.  
  
“But, but…” Klein stopped himself before pouting. “ _Where_ did it come from?”  
  
“My wife pulled it out of nowhere and killed a Youma with it, apparently,” Agil said.  
  
Klein just looked dumbfounded. “What.”  
  
“Your wife is badass.” Dynamm chuckled.  
  
“Oh, that’s right…” Klein turned to his friend and Guildmate, “How did your date with _Luna_ go?” He asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.  
  
“It went swimmingly,” Dynamm said. “And get your mind out of the gutter, I don’t care _how_ good the drinks are there. So Agil, what are you working on?” He asked, settling himself on a stool in front of Agil to get a look.  
  
“We need a place for our leaders to meet up right?” Agil asked, “And yes, I know we will have the school too, come April.”  
  
“But _where_ would this place be?” Klein asked as he too sat down where he could see what Agil was doing.  
  
“It would be here, since Kathy suggested it.” Agil replied, “Have you tried using magic since we got out of SAO?”  
  
“I know better than to do that without someone to watch and, if necessary, call an ambulance if I try something that’s too much for me to handle,” Dynamm said. “We have the knowledge, but not the conditioning.”  
  
Klein nodded in agreement. “We’re thinking we should wait and see what the Captain has in mind for training,” he added. “For us, we know what to expect and have _Their_ memories to fall back on, but for anyone else who went through SAO…”  
  
“They will have to unlearn almost as much as they will have to learn,” Agil agreed.  
  
“Well, since there are three of us here, how about we try something basic?” Klein asked, “Like, say, a spell that produces light?”  
  
Dynamm thought about it for a moment, “Whoever is not casting should have their phones ready, just in case.”  
  
“Anyone have either Heathcliff or Kirito’s number?” Klein asked.  
  
“I have Kirito’s, why?” Agil replied.  
  
“He might be able to get in contact with Heathcliff,” Klein said. “Call it a hunch.”  
  
“That is a good idea,” Agil agreed. “You think that Heathcliff might have something to help us?”  
  
“He might,” Klein agreed. “It’s not like finding something from the Empire would have been easy to obtain, but Heathcliff was the Captain of the Royal Guard for a reason. Even if he didn’t find something, it is possible that he managed to kludge something together.”  
  
Agil hummed in agreement as he started reaching for his phone. Unconsciously, he moved his hand as if he was going to open the Menu he didn’t have any more as the hand went for his cellphone.  
  
He froze when his Menu appeared in front of him, everything but his Friend List greyed out. “What.”  
  
Klein and Dynamm stared unblinkingly for a moment. “What in the name of…” Dynamm asked.  
  
“Holy….” Klein agreed. “Since when do we still have the Menu?”  
  
“Since always apparently…” Agil was just as confused as the other two reincarnates. “You still want me to get my phone out?”  
  
“You probably should.” Klein agreed.  
  
“Alright then.” Agil dismissed his Menu and pulled his phone free of his pocket.  
  
Klein thought about it a little more, “Come to think about it… perhaps you should just call them out here so we can do this correctly…”  
  
“Perhaps we should check to see if our affinities have remained the same or if they’ve changed.” Agil agreed almost cheerfully. He turned his phone on and called Kirito. “Commander.”  
  
There was a moment of silence as Klein and Dynamm watched their friend.  
  
“Yes, where is the Captain, is he with you?” Agil asked after a moment. “He is? That’s good.”  
  
Agil fell silent as he listened to Kirito speak. “I see, well, I have Klein and Dynamm here, and we were hoping that he might have something that would help us do some… testing… Yes, we are willing to wait for you here.” After a moment, he nodded. “We’ll see you in a few minutes then.”  
  
The three men had been so focused on the call that they hadn’t noticed Beryl and Endymion enter the establishment.  
  
Upon spying Nephrite’s Axe on the wall, Endymion smiled impishly. “Do we want to know what that was about, Ryoutaru?” he asked.  
  
“Oh, Endy-kun, I think the answer to that… is: _yes_ …” Beryl-chan grinned.  
  
Klein sighed. “I believe the two of you know Dynamm?”  
  
Dynamm waved. “Hey, Beryl-chan, looking good today!”  
  
“Why thank you Dynamm.” Beryl said flatly, the beginnings of a smile on her face. “So, Agil, how come something of that Zombie’s is hanging on your wall?”  
  
“Funny, everyone has asked me about that…” Agil laughed. “I’ve told you about Kathy?”  
  
“Your amazing wife? Yes you have.” Beryl nodded.  
  
“Well, we still have things in our pockets.” Agil said as way of explanation. “And Shared Inventories are still a thing. Because Kathy used this axe to fight off and kill a Youma.”  
  
Beryl-chan whistled in appreciation, “I need to meet this woman!”  
  
“You will eventually.” Agil grinned back, “I’m very proud of her.”  
  
“Good! Because I plan on making her one of my Bridesmaids.” Beryl-chan said rather smugly.  
  
“But you haven’t met Kathy yet.” Agil pointed out.  
  
“Oh, she’ll fit right in with Asuna-hime, Yuuna, Luna and Silica.” Beryl replied. “I’m not worried.”  
  
Endymion reached over and tugged at some of her hair. “At least let me _meet_ these girls before you go off planning their colors…”  
  
Beryl turned huge green eyes on Endymion. “Who me? I’d _never_ do that Endy-kun!”  
  
Endymion started to sweat as his fiancée started pouting. Then he sighed. “I do want to meet them…” he reminded her, giving up.  
  
“You will if you stick around,” Beryl-chan grinned, savoring her victory. “Asuna-hime is going to be my Maid of Honor.”  
  
“I still can’t believe that you are on such good terms with her…” Endymion said, a small smile on his face. “But I’m _really_ glad that she’s engaged to someone else.”  
  
“So, are we waiting on anyone?” Beryl-chan asked, turning her attention back to the three Shitennou.  
  
Klein, Dynamm, and Agil all shared a glance. “Should we tell them about…?” Klein asked.  
  
“It might actually be better to wait.” Agil hedged.  
  
Dynamm nodded, “The Captain, Commander and Princess are going to be here soon, there’s no need to say the same thing twice…”  
  
Endymion rolled his eyes as he pulled Beryl-chan to one of the booths, “We are willing to wait.”  
  
Three minutes later, the door opened again, this time it was it was the man they all recognized as Kayaba Akihiko who held the door open. And in came Kirito, Asuna, Lux, and a girl that they did not know.  
  
Once his companions were inside, Kayaba closed the door behind him, but not before a huge black and white cat slipped inside. It reminded Agil of a Maine Coon on steroids.  
  
“Well, Agil?” Kirito asked, coming to a stop at the bar. “It sounded urgent over the phone.”  
  
Agil blinked, watching the domestic Siberian Tiger as it rubbed against the Commander’s legs, and how the young man started scratching behind the beast’s ear. Agil forced his mind back to the topic at hand. “Right, I suppose it would be much easier to just show you…” He raised his hand as if to open the Menu.  
  
“You _do_ realize that we don’t have the Menu anymore, right?” Asuna the First asked in amusement. “That’s not going to do anything.”  
  
“You would be surprised, Princess.” Agil said as he brought his hand down and the Menu appeared.  
  
“Eh? But…” Kirito leaned in to look at the Menu in front of Agil, and then repeated the action himself. “Ok… so we have to figure out how to _hide_ our Menus…” He gazed down at the greyed out options.  
  
Asuna looked over his shoulder. “Hm, it looks like some of our options aren’t working…” She observed.  
  
“We should be thankful we have what we’ve got.” Kirito said as he dismissed the interface. “Now that we know we have it, we can work on fixing what’s not working.”  
  
“If we can figure that out.” Kayaba spoke up to the first time.  
  
Kirito turned his eyes to the older man and nodded. “If we can… it would be a boon.”  
  
“What did you need of me?” Kayaba asked.  
  
That surprised all of the people there that were closer to his own age. “ _You’re_ Heathcliff?” Endymion choked.  
  
“You have a problem with my cousin?” asked the girl who looked like Kirito, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
“Cousin?” Endymion asked.  
  
“Yeah, sure, everyone else here knows,” Kirito smirked, “Heathcliff is my brother.”  
  
“He was the only one who wasn’t wearing his face during the game.” Beryl explained, “So we weren’t sure what he actually looked like.”  
  
Kirito turned to him, “Aki, did you bring that Crystal that you used to test us?” He asked, one of his hands now scratching under the cat’s chin.  
  
“I did indeed,” Kayaba replied, pulling the Crystal out of his book bag. “I suppose you want to know if you still have the same talents?”  
  
“I think we are all curious.” Beryl-chan said for them all. “Commander, would you mind sharing yours?”  
  
Kirito shook his head. “I have Shadow Magic, which, according to my source, runs in families, so Sugu here, who goes by Leafa in ALO also has it.”  
  
“I’ve got Shadow Magic too!” Lux volunteered.  
  
“As do I,” Kayaba agreed.  
  
“I… I’d say that we are lucky to have _four_ practitioners of Shadow Magic…” Beryl-chan had to sit down she was so surprised. “And I know that the only reason we have that many is that three of you are closely related.”  
  
“I have Light Magic, surprise, surprise…” Asuna finished drily.  
  
Kayaba handed Endymion the Crystal.  
  
“I think I recognize this… it’s a training aid, isn’t it?” He asked, looking to the older man.  
  
Kayaba nodded. “It is,” he said. “I’m just lucky that nothing happened to my brother when he and our Princess were ambushed.”  
  
“I heard about that from Ami.” Endymion agreed, turning to Kirito. “You are lucky that there weren’t more.”  
  
“You don’t have to tell me that.” Kirito huffed as he steered his younger sister to one of the booths and sat her down. “I know how lucky we were.”  
  
“Endy-niisan, stop it.” Asuna said quietly. “No need to rub our noses in it.”  
  
Endymion almost dropped the Crystal. “What did you just call me?” he asked, turning to the young Princess.  
  
“I called you Nii-san.” Asuna gave him her most innocent look. “I may not be in love with you, but I _am_ still fond of you.” She gave him a grin.  
  
The cat meowed loudly. “Agil, can you get Ēkate some milk or something?” Kirito asked as the huge cat jumped up next to Leafa and settled himself across her lap.  
  
“You called it… Ēkate?” Agil asked, “As in Unity?”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Ēkate found me when he was still a kitten.” He shrugged, “I’m not sure if it was on accident or if he’d been watching me before he made himself known… Asuna has identified him as an Aincrad Sabercat.”  
  
“A Sabercat?” Endymion asked in surprise. _I’d thought they’d gone extinct…_  
  
“Yes, they are the domesticated form of the Aincrad Sabertiger.” Asuna spoke up as she settled herself across the table from Leafa. “They are loyal and intelligent cats. They are also fiercely protective of their Pride, which includes the humans who raise them. And yes, I know Pride is also used when talking about lions, but the Aincrad Sabercat used the term first. I’m going to have to find Ēkate a partner… Kirito-kun?”  
  
“Yes?” Kirito turned to her.  
  
“Do you know if Ēkate was Fixed?” Asuna asked, ignoring the uncomfortable grimaces from most of the males present.  
  
Kirito looked thoughtful. “Not that I know of,” he said after a moment. He then looked at Kayaba, who shook his head.  
  
“He wasn’t,” the older man said. “And it took a lot of fast talking to keep mom and dad from having it done.”  
  
“Had you started remembering Heathcliff’s life at that point?” Kirito asked.  
  
“Yes, and the appearance of Ēkate brought memories of the Sabercats to the surface.” Kayaba smiled sadly.  
  
“Good, the best of the Feline Guard were always intact.” Asuna said as she showered affection on the ancient breed, finally noticing the white marking in the middle of the black spot on his forehead. “Well, hello Nephew…” she cooed as Ēkate purred.  
  
“Eh?” Kirito blinked. “You mean that…”  
  
“Yes,” Asuna agreed, “The felines that descended from _her_ mother’s… kink, always had the royal symbol somewhere on their bodies.” She explained. She turned her attention back to Ēkate. “If Aincrad still exists… we are going to have to find him a breeding partner.”  
  
Kirito looked at Asuna for a long moment. “Brother… how advanced is the… Metamorphosis spell?”  
  
“It is one of the more advanced Neutral Spells.” Kayaba replied. “But I thought that you didn’t want to touch it after that Salamander Raid Incident?”  
  
Kirito still hadn’t taken his eyes off his betrothed, “Just in case that… _kink_ is still around…”  
  
Asuna froze and then bushed darkly. “I don’t think so!”  
  
“Not even if it’s me?” He asked innocently as everyone but Kayaba went green when they realized what Kirito was implying.  
  
Asuna turned a steely gaze on her Consort. “Oh, you are going to look _just so lovely_ …” she crooned so sweetly that Kirito paled.  
  
“N-now Hime… there’s no need for _that…_ ” he backpedaled as quickly as he could.  
  
“Nu-uh,” Asuna smirked, “I’m calling Ashley.”  
  
Suguha smirked, “You’ve brought this on yourself, Onii-chan.”  
  
Beryl started giggling at about the same time as Lux, their laughter soon spread to all the men in the Cafe but for Endymion.  
  
Endymion blinked, not understanding what was so funny. “Mio-chan… care to explain to me what is going on?”  
  
“I’m sorry, Endy-kun,” Beryl said between bouts of laughter. “Asuna-sama apparently has a… _thing_ for dressing her Consort in women’s clothing, should he get her angry enough… _or_ if she’s in the mood to Troll him.”  
  
Kayaba grinned as he pulled out his phone and selected a picture. “Here, take a look at this.” He said, holding the phone out for Endymion to take.  
  
Endymion blinked as he took the phone.  
  
“You all suck!” Kirito declared with a pout, his shoulders slumping.  
  
“Oh sit up, I will not have my Consort having lousy posture!” Asuna snapped back.  
  
Wincing, Kirito did as instructed and straightened his back, his shoulders going up and back so that he was sitting properly.  
  
Endymion looked at the picture and then to Kirito with an expression of pity.  
  
Kayaba then cleared his throat, “Shall we all get back to what we were supposed to be doing here?” he asked pointedly.  
  
Asuna cast the spell and the Crystal in Endymion’s grasp started glowing a dark brown.  
  
“Earth Magic, that’s not very surprising.” Endymion said as he handed the Crystal to his fiancée, who took it and gave it a glance.  
  
“As if there was any doubt that you’d still be an Earth Mage…” Beryl chuckled. “Huh, I seem to be a water mage this time around…” She mused, “I better brush up on my healing spells, not to mention the ice magic and stuff to make people _really_ regret going after me.” She handed it over to Dynamm.  
  
Feeling nervous for no apparent reason, Dynamm took the Crystal and looked into it. “Huh, I seem to be a Water Mage too…” he held it out to Klein, who took it.  
  
“Huh… Dark Magic is the main one,” Klein said as he handed the crystal to Agil. “And we have Earth and a bit of Air thrown in for flavor. Kunzite’s used to be only fire.”  
  
“Dark Magic… Isn’t that what Imps have in ALO?” Kirito asked, looking up at his brother.  
  
“It is.” Kayaba agreed.  
  
“Well, looks like _someone_ is going to have an Imp Alt.” Kirito said with a grin.  
  
Klein huffed, handing the Crystal to Agil who took it.  
  
“Huh, I’ve now got Earth Magic.” Agil shrugged as he handed it back to Kayaba. “Nephrite was a Water Mage. but this works for me.” He looked at Dynamm. “I’ll put together some notes of what Nephrite knew. He was a master of Divination, which Water Magic works well with.  
  
“Fire too, from what Rei-chan has told me.” Klein piped up with a grin.  
  
“You are just pleased that you might finally have a girlfriend now.” Dynamm said flatly. “And I just know the Universe is protesting that disruption of the Cosmic Order.”  
  
“Well you aren’t exactly bishie either, _Zoicite_ …” Klein teased back.  
  
Beryl began laughing.  
  
“Beryl-chan…” Kirito said from the booth he was sharing with Asuna and his sister, “Would you please enlighten us as to what it is that you find so funny?”  
  
“Their talents changed…” Beryl giggled. “I foresee much trouble as they try to break the habits that might have carried over in reincarnation…”  
  
Endymion started laughing to once she said that. “Oh to be a fly on the wall when they trip up…” he chuckled.  
  
Kirito chuckled lightly too, “I suppose.” Ah the opportunities to collect Blackmail material… Not to mention teasing rights and he’d have something to use against them if, or rather, _when_ they started teasing him about who wore the pants in his relationship.  
  
Everyone knew that it was his wife that was in charge, He certainly didn’t feel as if his masculine pride was on the line because of it. Really, they shouldn’t be teasing him. Besides which, his wife pulled slacks off magnificently. Then again, he thought she made everything she wore beautiful. No, he didn’t care that he was biased about it either. He had the _best wife_ on the planet.  
  
Asuna eyed her Consort for a moment and easily slid into his lap, “What are you thinking about?”  
  
“Just how beautiful you make everything you wear.” Kirito replied with a blush.  
  
Asuna smiled, “I’m _still_ punishing you.”  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Yes dear.”  
  


* * *

****

  
He blinked in confusion as he opened the door to his favorite Cafe and saw a large group on people settled around the booths and table. “Hey Andrew,” he called, “I thought this place would be deserted since it’s early in the afternoon?”  
  
Andrew turned, “Oh hey, Tamaishi.” he called back, “What have you been doing?”  
  
Tamashi shrugged. “Oh, you know, the usual,” he said. “Get up, go to work, go home, play some ALO and work with my brother in making our faction the strongest, go to bed. Nothing unusual.” He looked around and spied Kirito and Asuna and his eyes widened briefly before he continued to look around, pausing at the sight of Endymion and Beryl. “And today is not going to be the usual, I see.”  
  
Andrew laughed. “You can say that,” he said.  
  
Tamaishi turned to Kirito and Asuna. “I suppose the Three Hundred Sleepers are awake now?”  
  
“They are,” Kirito said. “One was already trying to break out on her own before getting caught and gave us a backdoor to get everyone out.” He chuckled. “Had she not gotten caught when she did, she probably would have pulled it off, too. She’s chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital right now, though she hasn’t raised a ruckus outside of complaining about wanting to be _out_ of there.”  
  
“Despite being DDA Silica knows that she will be released when the doctors are sure she’s fine and that cooperating with them will make that happen sooner,” Klein said. “It helps that Lind told her that all of us had to deal with it ourselves. I talked with her earlier today, and she said she should be out in a week.”  
  
“That soon?” Asuna asked.  
  
“We did learn a bit from dealing with you all,” the man who looked very much like Tamaishi’s memories of Endymion said drily. “It’s more getting her used to the fact that she has to remember how to move around and that she is _not_ as strong as she is used to being. Well, that and the fact that her body has changed from what she’s used to. She grew a bit, and other developments, so she is having to adjust to her new center of balance as well.”  
  
Kirito and Asuna both nodded in sympathy. “Yeah, that is not fun.” Asuna agreed.  
  
“…Tamaishi…” the woman who looked suspiciously like Beryl, if with dichromatic hair right now, said before trying not to laugh. “Hey Jadeite! Long time no see!” She clutched at her middle, “Ow, my sides…”  
  
Tamaishi gave her a glare. “The name is _Eugene_ , Beryl.” He shot back sarcastically, turning his attention back to Andrew, and caught sight of the Axe. “I _still_ can’t believe that your wife was able to lift that Axe.”  
  
“What can I say, my Kathy is amazing.” Andrew grinned.  
  
“Yeah, well, every man who’s been married thinks that of their wife.” Kirito interjected.  
  
Endymion nodded, putting an arm around Beryl. Who, along with Asuna, preened at the praise.  
  
“So, why did you come here at this time of day, Eugene?” Andrew asked, using the gaming name his friend had long preferred, and for good reason.  
  
“Eh, just my regular, why is everyone here anyway?” Tamaishi asked.  
  
Kirito was looking at him curiously, “Do you know what ALO is?”  
  
“Isn’t it just a game?” Tamaishi asked curiously.  
  
“It’s not.” Kirito said as he held out a huge Crystal. “Here, depending on how high your magic stat in game is, you might be able to actually use magic.”  
  
Tamaishi took the Crystal and frowned. “This thing is familiar.”  
  
“It should be,” Asuna whispered the spell to activate it.  
  
Tamaishi frowned when it started to glow a blue. “Typical… I’m a Salamander.”  
  
“All you really need to do is create an Undine Alt.” Kirito suggested with a teasing grin..  
  
“Shut up you!” Tamaishi grumbled, pouting.  
  
All the people in the cafe started laughing as Andrew brought him a cup of coffee.


	12. Punishments, Training and Otherworldly Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirito gets punished for his words and it looks like there were more Survivors of The Fall...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu - This is what Silver Empire Survivors call the Youma.
> 
> Skuggi spegill, gefðu mér það form sem endurspeglast - Shadowed mirror, give me the form of that which is reflected.

**February 9, 2025; Tokorozawa General Hospital**  
  
Silica looked up from her book when the door to her hospital room opened, “Good morning, Dad.” she said with a smile.  
  
The morning after she’d woken up, her father had almost squeezed the life out of her he had been hugging her so tightly. Strangely enough, though her father’s grip had been uncomfortably tight, she hadn’t felt as if she could not breathe.  
  
“Good morning, Keiko.” Her father replied. “Are you ready to go home?” He asked.  
  
“More than ready.” Silica agreed as she got up and sat in the wheelchair grumbling. She could walk just fine, but it was better to go with what the doctors wanted her to do. “Having my friends visit was nice, but I’d rather be meeting them somewhere else.”  
  
It would probably still be a couple weeks, minimum, before she’d be able to report to Lind and Kirito for duty. She was looking forward to meeting Yuna and Luna again. And killing some Youma, maybe.  
  
But first, she needed to get used to being home and not living in a video game.  
  
“Well, let’s get you home first, and then maybe your mother will make your favorites for dinner.” Her father replied.  
  
“That would be wonderful dad.” Silica agreed. It was going to be so strange not having Pina around, especially since the Dragon had been with her for so long. Pina would be there, but at the same time… that Pina was a _cat_. And though she might love that cat to death… She wasn’t the feathered dragon that had been her constant companion for over a year.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad, Eighth Floor Stasis Hold**  
  
Rameses Soulfire stretched as he stood up from the stasis pod, idly looking at the chronometer on the wall. _A thousand years this time, huh?_ He thought idly. _Time for the adults to make sure that the systems are all working, repair and refurbish everything they can, and for me to get back to checking the various biomes on Aincrad’s floors. I doubt that anything new has come up, outside of something important breaking and needing repairs, replacement, or an improvised fix. Again._  
  
In other words, the usual routine. For him, like the last two awakenings, he would likely be tasked with checking on the various parts of Aincrad’s many ecosystems. If he was quick, he could volunteer to be on the teams doing the Bottom Ten floors. Floors forty through fifty were nice, especially the forty-seventh, but he wanted to stay close to home this time. Well, that and not having to try and avoid, run away from, fight, or improvise a dangerous solution to being trapped and hunted by Aincrad’s wildlife.  
  
That had been an interesting two weeks on the eighty-fifth floor. Interesting, in the Plutonian sense, that was.  
  
He had enough scars, thank you, two in particular from those two weeks. No need to add to the collection this Awakening.  
  
He was a decent fighter, even the civilians of Aincrad knew how to fight the various beasts that made Aincrad their home these days, if only so they could hold them off long enough for help to arrive or make an opening to allow them to get to safety. Well, once they were older than eleven, in awakened years, that was.  
  
It was easier to simply list their ages based on how many years they had been awakened, rather than the number of years since their birth. Otherwise, he would be listing his age as being over ten thousand years old, rather than fifteen.  
  
A disgruntled meow drew his attention to the pod, where he spotted Rājakumāri, the Sabercat Queen that had adopted him as her human nearly a decade ago when she was a kitten, jumping out of it and shooting it an irate look. Ever since they started going in and out of stasis, she had gotten increasingly irate about having to spend time in it, despite the fact that they would spend the next two years wandering around Aincrad doing various tasks.  
  
Not that he could blame her. He had only been five when everything went to Tartarus and the five awakenings since. He still remembered the terror as Aincrad had to deal with an invasion of _Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu_. He and his family had barely made it to a defended area. And then, they lost contact with everyone outside of Alfheim sending word that they were enacting continuation measures.  
  
Yet, the times in stasis were shortening. The systems may be the best that the Her Majesty could provide for a habitat that housed millions, but everything was long past the point where they should have been replaced. They weren’t meant to be in use for over ten thousand years, even with maintenance and refurbishing. Ten percent of them had already failed as it was, taking the lives of those who were in them.  
  
His parents among them.  
  
Not that his loss was unique in that regard. The number of those here, born on Aincrad or not, who _hadn’t_ lost someone due to a system failing, some accident, Aincrad’s own wildlife, or simple bad luck, had long since become fewer than those who had. And that number was going to continue to drop.  
  
At least his parents’ deaths had been peaceful, if the lack of obvious attempts at breaking out of their pods were any indication. They had simply gotten into the pods, gone to sleep, and never woke up.  
  
He shook that line of thought out of his head as he brought up his Mystic Tome. It has been two awakenings since he underwent the surgery for the implants needed to make more use of it outside of messaging others without exhausting oneself. The name may be a throwback to a time when magic was far more magical than the well-studied science it was now, let alone the merging with technology that had made the Kingdom possible, but why change the name?  
  
The implants weren’t a complete necessity, but they made it _far_ easier, and less taxing. He still remembered the training on how to do so with them disabled and being brought to his knees the first dozen times. That it was _only_ a dozen times was remarkable, most took far more time to be able to handle the strain and some never managed it.  
  
He was still debating on whether he should accept the offers to train as a mage or not. It’s not like he was especially talented in magic. He was decent, but he wasn’t a budding prodigy. Besides, it wasn’t as if they could send him to any of the Empire’s various academies that had been set up. He had heard, once, that the Silence may have been invoked.  
  
Which would explain why there hasn’t been any communication with anywhere else in ten thousand years. Hopefully, Earth had been spared.  
  
He idly began to pet Rājakumāri, taking care to give her the scratches along the symbol of the Queen that marked her bloodline for what it was that she liked and was rewarded with a purr. He might not be able to communicate with her as well as an actual Tamer would, he didn’t have the natural talents for the role, but there was a reason why he had been given tasks relating to Aincrad’s wildlife and biomes. Well, outside of his inclination to explore and wander.  
  
Besides, the two of them had been constant companions since he was four.  
  
“Let’s see if there’s anything I need to see to before I go down to Seran Dael and try and get a good assignment,” he said. A yowl from Rājakumāri made him chuckle. “Okay, _we_ get a good assignment. I’m going to try for the Bottom Ten, be close to home for the next two years for a change. And yes, that means you can go and annoy that one Pride you liked to. Just don’t try and pounce on the flock of feathered dragons that are the Princess’ children and grandchildren this time. She might not be here, but old Nīli is not going to take that calmly. You know what happened last time.”  
  
Rājakumāri gave a meow that he knew to mean that she was not promising anything.  
  
Rameses chuckled as he went through the messages. Update on the status of Aincrad… nothing critical broke in the last thousand years. Good to know. Notice of a probe flyby with a backtracked path leading in system. Them managing to catch another probe as it entered the planet’s atmosphere… backtracking of the first probe indicates Earth as the probable origin, with the second likely being from the same planet... wait, _what?_  
  
 _Where_ had the Probe come from? Perhaps he should see if he can get a look at that probe first.  
  
“Looks like we will be late in getting to Seran Dael,” Rameses said. “Want to check something out, Rājakumāri?”  
  
Rājakumāri meowed in a way that Rameses knew meant that she was annoyed and impatient.  
  
Rameses stood and walked to the door. Opening it, he stepped out and jumped back. “Whoa!” He shouted in surprise as a light blue feathered dragon rapidly flew past. He turned to watch as the feathered dragon made a beeline for the Teleport Station. “Hey wait! You can’t go there!” He shouted after it, “Come on, Rājakumāri, we need to stop that feathered dragon!”

* * *

  
  
**February 12, 2025; Japan: Kawagoe Prefecture, Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Asuna set her bag down on the counter, “Hey Sugu,” she called.  
  
“What do you need, Nee-chan?” Suguha asked, poking her head into the kitchen.  
  
“Can you make sure that your brother doesn’t come in here to ruin the surprise.” Asuna asked as she pulled out the tools that she needed to make Chocolate.  
  
Suguha blinked, “Oh right, Valentine’s day is in a few days…” She smiled, “Sure. Have you found what you are going to make Onii-chan wear yet?”  
  
“I have, I went to see Ashley and she whipped up just what I needed.” Asuna smirked, “I’m going to make him wear it when we go out on Valentine's.”  
  
“Can’t wait to see what you’ve cooked up.” Suguha agreed.

* * *

  
  
**February 14, 2025**  
  
Asuna woke up slowly, smiling as she sat up; looking down at Kirito’s sleeping face. She carefully got up and placed a box onto his desk. Carefully opening the box, she made sure that everything was still inside and closed it. There was still something that needed to be added. She snapped her fingers quietly.  
  
She needed to go get the chocolate that she’d made a few days ago. Silent as a ghost, Asuna made her way to the kitchen to get the chocolate she’d made.  
  
When she got there, she saw that the light was already on. When she entered the kitchen, she saw that it was Kirigaya Kenshin, who was examining the chocolate that she’d made. “Good morning, Honored Grandfather.” She said quietly.  
  
“Good morning, Asuna.” Kenshin replied, turning his gold flecked eyes on her. “You made this chocolate, I take it?”  
  
“Yes, for Kazuto-kun.” Asuna agreed, being careful to be formal with the man. He was rather old fashioned, but that was alright by Asuna, he reminded her of her own grandparents on her mother’s side of the family. “Though, I think that you’ll find the punishment I have planned to be… amusing…” she smiled as she made her way to Kenshin’s side and collected the Chocolate. “I have to get back to him before a nightmare wakes him though.”  
  
“I will see you later then, though you and Kazuto are free to join Suguha and I for our morning practice.” Kinshin told her.  
  
Asuna turned back to him, “We just might.” She disappeared back up the stairs and into Kirito’s bedroom.  
  
Kirito had turned to one side and was patting the side of the bed that she slept on, looking for her.  
  
Asuna smiled as she placed the chocolate on top of the box and climbed back onto the bed, cuddling back into his side. She closed her eyes as Kirito wrapped his arm around her middle and settled back into a calm sleep. Well, she couldn’t move, so she settled down for a nap.  
  


* * *

****

  
Half an hour later, Kirito finally woke up. “Good morning, Asuna.” he whispered.  
  
“Good morning.” Asuna leaned up so that she was looking down at him with a smile.  
  
“You left for a bit.” He said as she leaned down.  
  
“Do you know what today is?” she asked, teasingly.  
  
“Today’s Valentine’s Day.” Kirito leaned up and gave her a kiss. “So, what’s the plan for today?”  
  
Asuna got out of bed, “I have something for you.”  
  
Kirito sat up, not saying anything since it likely had to do with that punishment. He was not looking forward to this. “Must it be today?”  
  
Asuna smiled sweetly, “Yes, yes it does, Kirito-kun.” She replied smugly. She picked up the box and held it out to him.  
  
Kirito sighed, taking the box from her. “Fine.” It wasn’t as if he didn’t trust her, His Asuna-hime did have a good eye for what he looked good in. He pulled the box open. As she said, it was Gothic Lolita, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, strictly speaking. Under the dress was everything else he’d need to put on. At least he wasn’t going to look more like an idiot than he already would…  
  
“You _do_ know that the rest will _never_ let me live this down, right?” He asked, looking up at Asuna from the contents of the box.  
  
“What if I told you we’d get to Snuggle in Alfheim Online?” She asked with the sexiest purr he had ever heard.  
  
“How long will I be wearing it?” He asked in defeat.  
  
“Not very long.” Asuna replied.  
  
“So, not all day then?” Kirito asked hopefully.  
  
“No, but I _am_ going to take you to the Dicey Cafe, you can change out of it once we get back.” Asuna promised.  
  
“Thank you.” Kirito carefully started to pull the clothes out of the box.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Agil was helping his wife clean up after the morning rush when the door opened. He looked up, “Oh hey Asuna… Kirito?” He began to smile.  
  
Kirito gave him a flat look under the black hat on his head. The black dress he had on was incredibly frilly, with ruffles and a black petticoat under the skirt of it. He had black tights on his legs and low-heeled black pumps with a strap across the instep of his feet on as well. All in all, he looked _far_ more feminine wearing that than any male, even him, should.  
  
“What are you punishing him for, Princess?” Agil asked, “He looks good.”  
  
“He spread something that I didn’t want anyone else to find out.” Asuna shrugged, “It was something I’d found out about _her_ a few days ago.”  
  
“Embarrassing detail?” Agil asked.  
  
“More like disturbing.” Asuna corrected as she took a seat, “Let’s just leave it at that. And keep your legs closed or cross crossed when you sit down, Kirito. You shouldn’t be sitting with them spread open like you would in pants while wearing a dress.”  
  
Carefully Kirito crossed his ankles, his sister had done this to him a time or two before they had drifted apart, and he still remembered that much. And he _still_ hadn’t found all the pictures she and his adoptive mother took. “I hate you right now,” he said with a pout.  
  
“No you don’t, because you know what we are going to be getting up to in ALO later…” Asuna teased.  
  
Kirito looked away, blushing lightly.  
  
“You look good in that,” Said Kathy with a grin as she appeared next to them, “Would you like something to drink?”  
  
“Black tea please.” Kirito said quietly, sounding almost as demure as he looked.  
  
Agil’s eyes almost popped out of his head at the sound. “You sound like a girl when you do that, Commander.”  
  
Kirito huffed, pulling out a black fan, “Who me?” He asked innocently in the same tone, hiding everything but his eyes with it.  
  
Asuna reached out and pulled Kirito into a kiss. She was finding the way he was acting, very hot.  
  
Kathy brought out the black tea and two cups. “Enjoy.”  
  
“We will, thank you,” Kirito smiled demurely.  
  


* * *

****

  
After about an hour after they’d arrived at the small cafe, Asuna decided that it was time for them to leave. “Ok, your punishment has lasted long enough, Kirito-kun, it’s time to head home.” She declared.  
  
Kirito relaxed with a sigh, “Thank goodness.” He said, following her to the door, “We’ll see you later, Agil.”  
  
Agil waved, “Kathy and I are going to be logging in later.”  
  
“Then maybe we’ll meet you there.” Asuna replied with a wave.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito ghosted up to his room to change as soon as they arrived. “So, what’s on the to-do list, now that my punishment is over?” Kirito asked as he pulled a long sleeved dark blue t-shirt on over his head.  
  
Asuna took a moment to appreciate the view before answering. “Well, unfortunately, we can’t skimp on anything, our first Patrol is tonight, unfortunately. We were never going to escape that.”  
  
“And it just so happened that our first time was going to be on Valentine’s Day…” Kirito grumbled as he pulled on a pair of black slacks. “Any meetings that we need to be at?”  
  
“No, though that could very well change.” Asuna replied with a shake of her head. “Which reminds me…” She turned to Luna, who was sitting on Kirito’s dresser. “I think you were supposed to give me something before we went out tonight?”  
  
Luna nodded, “Indeed.” The Mau said as something appeared under her right paw. “This broach will let you transform into Senshi Moon.”  
  
The broach fit in the palm of her hand and Asuna studied it closely after picking it up. It was round, almost a half sphere in gold with a crescent moon as a decoration with four smaller round circles, one on each quarter, that represents each of the Inner Senshi that fight alongside her; Red for Senshi Mars, Blue for Senshi Mercury, Green for Senshi Jupiter and Orange for Senshi Venus. “I take it the colored circles at the four corners represent the Inner Senshi?” She asked, looking up from the broach to Luna.  
  
“They do indeed,” Luna agreed. “Before you transform for the first time, I need to say one thing: All of the other uniforms will change after you Transform to a more… standardized form.”  
  
“That means that the uniforms of the others will shift to be similar to mine, or even the same, sans color?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Yes,” her past life’s mother’s and now her adviser confirmed. “But the others have had theirs individualized for so long that I very much doubt that theirs will shift to match yours completely.”  
  
“Well, there’s no reason for me to actually use this yet…” Asuna concluded, “Perhaps later, when it’s closer to the time for us to go out on Patrol.”  
  
“That reminds me, Asuna-hime, what are we going to do about armor for myself and my soldiers?” Kirito asked as he appeared at her side. “Our Blacksmiths need to get a space to work, not to mention get back in the swing of crafting.”  
  
“That is a good question,” Asuna hummed, “Where would they work?”  
  
“We’ll have to ask,” Kirito said as he opened the door for her and the left the room with Luna following.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Agil grinned as his three friends came through the door. “Good afternoon guys.”  
  
“Hey Agil, I suppose today is the day we start training?” Eugene asked.  
  
“I had thought that we could.” Agil replied, “And while we are doing that, Kathy is going to be in the back.”  
  
“Can we have snacks then?” Dynamm asked with a grin.  
  
Agil shrugged. “Depends, can you pay for it?” He asked with a grin.  
  
“You are such a troll, Agil.” Klein grumbled.  
  
Eugene and Agil chuckled in amusement. “I’m a _gamer_ what else would I be, _Kunzite_?” Agil asked with a grin.  
  
“Oh stuff it, Nephrite!” Klein grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
“Boss, you’re an idiot.” Dynamm rolled his eyes.  
  
“Oh, shut up, Zoicite.” Klein pouted, sending the other three into gales of laughter.  
  
“Ok, that’s enough, we are here to train.” Agil said as he calmed down. “So, let’s see what we can do.”  
  
They each pulled out their cell phones and placed them on a nearby table, for just in case.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward**  
  
“Are you sure that a Staff will be enough?” Mamoru asked as he watched his fiancée get ready for their first Patrol.  
  
“It is what I used for close combat in SAO.” Mio replied. “Just remember to call me Beryl-chan once we leave the house.”  
  
“But what if the Senshi attack you?” He asked in alarm.  
  
“I don’t look like my past self anymore, Endymion.” Mio told him with a serious look on her face. “I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”  
  
“If you say so,” Mamoru replied in a tone that he didn’t fully share her opinion but wouldn’t object to her decision, “Is this going to be a competition?”  
  
“No, I don’t think so.” Mio grinned, “Not unless we run into the Commander…”  
  
 _Why would his being there turn it into a competition?_ Mamoru wondered.  
  
“Are we going or not dear?” Mio asked.  
  
“Right, right.” Mamoru agreed as he opened the door and they set out.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Oh, hey Mamoru!” A voice called out from behind them, and Mamoru and Mio turned around.  
  
“Oh, hey Minako,” Mamoru replied with a wave, “How are you?”  
  
“Heading to the meeting actually.” Minako replied, “Is this the Mio we’ve been hearing about?” She asked, eying Mio’s dichromatic hair. “Nice hair… That shade though…”  
  
“There’s a reason that I’ve been dying it.” Mio grinned, “And yes, that shade of red is _natural_.” She sighed.  
  
“That’s the same shade as… Beryl’s…” Minako frowned, “Were you afraid that we would attack first, ask questions never?”  
  
“That was part of it.” Mio agreed, “My username for SAO was Beryl. A bit of a fuck you to that bitch on my part. The Commander and everyone else have taken to calling me Beryl-chan for obvious reasons.”  
  
“Well, your green eyes are rather striking,” Minako smiled. “Mamoru, are you coming to the meeting today?”  
  
“Oh, there was supposed to be a meeting today?” Mamoru asked, “I must have forgotten about it…”  
  
“It’s fine; I’m headed there right now.” Minako waved his question away.  
  
“Then yes, we’ll come.” Mamoru agreed.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
The Doorbell rang as Kirito and Asuna were getting ready to leave, “Sugu, can you get that?” Kirito called down the stairs.  
  
“Just a second!” Suguha called back as she came in from the Dojo. She made her way to the front door and checked to see who it was, “It’s… I think you called her Lux?”  
  
“Then let her in.” Kirito called back as he came out of his room.  
  
Suguha unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Welcome, Lux, it’s nice to see you again.”  
  
“Nice to see you as well, Sugu, may I call you that?” Lux asked.  
  
“That’s fine.” Suguha replied as Kirito’s bedroom door opened again and Asuna came out of the room ready to go.  
  
“Evening, Commander, Princess.” Lux said, turning her attention for Kirito and Asuna as they came down the stairs. She gave them both a salute.  
  
“At ease,” Kirito smiled, “Nice to see you as well, Lux. Are you ready for your first Patrol?”  
  
“Yes sir, don’t we also have that meeting to go to?”  
  
“We do, and Patrol is after that.” Asuna told her. “Would you rather apply the illusion now, or when we get to the Hikawa Shrine in the Minato Ward?”  
  
“I think it would be a better idea to wait,” Lux replied with a bow, “At least until I’m more used to casting the spell. Captain Heathcliff has suggested that I get my hair cut and dyed at the moment as well.”  
  
“I’m sure Inanna wouldn’t mind doing that for you once we get there,” Asuna smiled as she followed Kirito to the garage, “Are you coming or not?”  
  
Lux blushed slightly as she hurried after them. “Yes, I’m coming.” She replied.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Kirito slowed his bike down as they got close to the Hikawa Shrine and his eyes widened slightly when he saw that Rei had put his name on a Parking Spot. Well, that made it very easy. He slid into the spot and kicked the kickstand and dismounted the bike.  
  
Asuna followed his example and pulled her helmet off. “I’m glad that we aren’t going to have to worry about parking.”  
  
“And we are early.” Kirito agreed as he helped Lux out of the sidecar. “Which is important, since _Princess Hathor_ doesn’t have any confidence in us, even after I demonstrated what kind of magic we would use.”  
  
“Are you sure that I shouldn’t cast the illusion until later, Commander?” Lux asked, taking off her helmet as well.  
  
“Yes, especially since you only just started casting spells.” Kirito said, turning to the other girl. “I have a different problem, my brother… Activated my magic somehow. But I haven’t _used_ it since I was three. Not that I… wait, there was that one time when Asuna and I had to… deal with Kuradeel. I’m not in…‘shape’ anymore. You, on the other hand are just starting out.”  
  
“Oh, I see.” Lux smiled.  
  
Kirito locked his bike up and they headed up the stairs.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito opened the door and let Asuna and Lux into the meeting room.  
  
Rei looked up, “You are all really early.”  
  
“I thought it would be best if we were as early as possible, Badb.” Asuna said as she sat down. “Kirito-kun, the maps.”  
  
“Maps?” Rei asked as Kirito opened the bag he was carrying and pulled out several road maps of Minato, Kawagoe, Setagaya, and Nerima. “Being early is best… seeing as Haruka can’t seem to wrap her head around the fact that you are different than she thought you would be. So, why the maps?”  
  
“Well,” Kirito said as he spread the maps of Setagaya, Kawagoe, and Minato over the table, “We want to see if those damned Zombies are expanding their web, or if they are changing where their operations take place.” He pulled out a packet of markers. “Purple for the Youma, and then I’ve got blue, green, red and grey for where the Zombies have been known to appear.”  
  
Rei bit the inside of her lip, “What about the warehouses where they store the Life Energy that they manage to collect?”  
  
Kirito checked the marker case, “I’ve got gold in here, would that work?” He asked.  
  
“Yes, that’s the hue that Life Energy takes.” Rei replied.  
  
Kirito stiffened when he felt someone appear behind him. “Rei, is there anyone standing behind me?” he asked as he pulled out a small sheet of paper to make sure that there was still ink in all the markers that they were going to use.  
  
Rei looked over his shoulder, “Not that I can see.”  
  
Kirito tossed the box the markers had been in, which was caught by a pouting Pluto. “I told you not to try that with me, Pluto.” Kirito reminded her.  
  
“That’s not fair; you should have waited until the rest got here…” Pluto grumbled.  
  
“If you want me to shock the rest then that’s fine.” Kirito replied. “Rei, how long until the others get here?”  
  
“Not for another thirty minutes.” Rei replied. “Who is the new girl?”  
  
“This is Lux, she wants to be my body double for whatever reason.” Kirito replied.  
  
Pluto disappeared as Rei gave Lux a confused look. “How does that work, she looks nothing like you.”  
  
“You’ll see after everyone else gets here.” Kirito looked up at the priestess, “She hasn’t been using her magic long either, so she needs to conserve her magic.”  
  
Lux nodded in agreement. “I don’t want to waste my magic.”  
  
“That is a good reason not to,” Rei agreed with a nod of approval. “Wasting magic when you’ve just started using it is a good way to make mistakes that will get you killed in situations like the one we are in.”  
  
“That was Heathcliff’s thought too.” Kirito said as he put the markers down. “It was part of the lesson he gave us when he checked what kind of magic we had talents for.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Haruka and Michiru were the first of the Senshi to arrive for the meeting, Haruka giving Kirito an appraising look and ignoring Asuna almost completely. “What’s with…?” She started to ask.  
  
“Hathor, please wait for everyone to get here before asking questions.” Asuna cut her off.  
  
Haruka gave Asuna a scowl but kept her mouth shut.  
  
Kirito and Asuna both withheld a sigh of relief when the older woman didn’t argue.  
  
After Haruka and Michiru, Minako and Makoto arrived, Makoto with a platter of cookies. Seeing the maps on the table, she placed the platter on one of the other flat surfaces. Endymion and Beryl-chan came in quietly and stood off to the side.  
  
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Asuna stood up and brought her hands together, “We’ve all arrived. Good. Now, I don’t know how these meetings are supposed to go, but I thought it would be a good idea to figure out where our enemy has been appearing. I brought these maps and markers for just this reason.” She picked up one of the markers. “To make this easier, we are going to create a web of color, each one represents a different enemy: Purple for Youma, Blue for Jadeite, Red for Nephrite, Green for Zoicite, Grey for Kunzite, and Gold for the stored Life Energy they have managed to collect.”  
  
“Creating this map will help me as well,” Kirito said after waiting a moment to see if Asuna would continue. “At the last count, I have around a thousand under my command that can be sent out to deal with the weaker Youma. And we are still tallying how many will recover from SAO enough to be useful.” He paused, “And with only seven of you active as of this moment… there is just too much ground for you to cover on your own.” His eyes narrowed at Haruka when the woman opened her mouth to cut in, “And _no, Princess Hathor_ , that is not an insult to your ability, numbers are a thing that can’t be avoided. The Senshi can only be in so many places at once, even _if_ Setsuna could manipulate time to allow you all to be in multiple places at once.” He looked at the Senshi of Pluto, who shook her head.  
  
Haruka gave Kirito a glare but kept her mouth shut.  
  
Lux stayed quiet as she watched Kirito and Asuna interact with the Senshi. So far, everyone had seemed to be respectful and even nice in most cases. The expression on Princess Hathor’s face, however, was filling her with dread. That woman was likely to be a thorn in their sides.  
  
“Lux, leave it alone, Asuna-hime will handle her.” Kirito’s quiet voice shocked her out of her thoughts.  
  
“Yes, Commander.” Lux obeyed. How had he known what she was thinking about?  
  


* * *

****

  
By the time the bulk of the meeting was over, the map of Minato was covered in purple, blue, and some gold. There was not much in Setagaya or Kawagoe, but Setagaya still had more activity.  
  
“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised by this spread,” Asuna frowned. “I live in Setagaya…”  
  
“It’s closer to Minato than Kawagoe, for one,” Kirito said. “Though the increased activity there is concerning. While no one, outside of us, know who you are… It would be a disaster if the Dark Kingdom found out who you were.” He looked up at her. “When you transform, what do you want us to call you?”  
  
“Well… it can’t be Princess, because that would defeat the purpose…” Asuna said thoughtfully, “And I can’t use my name…”  
  
“Yes, using your Civilian name for SAO was a terrible idea.” Kirito agreed, “Ow! What was that for?”  
  
Asuna lowered her hand, “You deserved that, Kirito-kun…” She muttered. “Well, according to the background information from SAO… The names of the different Moon gods and goddesses from the religions around the world were the kings and queens of the Moon so… Maybe I could use one of those names…?”  
  
“No iteration of Selene.” Kirito said, rubbing the back of his head. “That would give it away.”  
  
Ami opened her Computer and did a quick search. “How about we go down a list?”  
  
“Nothing that would make it obvious.” Asuna repeated.  
  
“That’s fine.” Ami said as she activated the projector. “We have Artemis and Hecate from Greek Myth, but then that would get confusing because we already have one Artemis.”  
  
Both Artemis and Luna are out anyway,” Kirito said into the silence that followed, “Because your friend Usagi is _my_ Luna and then there is Minako’s partner.”  
  
Ami nodded, going through the list, “Diana is Roman, there’s Alignak which is Inuit in origin…” She continued, “Cerridwen, which is Celtic, Chang’e which is Chinese, I don’t think the Aztec Goddess is appropriate…”  
  
“You mean the one who got her head chopped off?” Asuna asked, complexion going slightly green at the thought.  
  
“Yes, that’s the one I’m talking about.” Ami replied, going to the next name, “There’s Sina, which is Polynesian, and then Thoth, from Egypt. And that’s just the first list I found.”  
  
Kirito met Asuna’s eye, “Should we keep looking for a name, Asuna-hime?” He asked.  
  
Asuna broke eye contact and looked down at the maps, “Let me think about the names already mentioned for a bit.”  
  
Kirito nodded.  
  


* * *

****

  
The meeting was finally over, and luckily, the one Lux knew as Princess Hathor had kept her mouth shut. Nervously, Lux got up and approached Minako. “Um…”  
  
“Was there something you needed?” Minako asked, giving Lux a pleasant smile.  
  
“I was hoping that you would agree to cut my hair?” Lux asked too quietly for most of the rest of the room to hear her. “I’d like to dye my hair too, to match the Commander’s.”  
  
“You have such beautiful hair, it seems a waste.” Minako said as she studied Lux’s hair. “However, I don’t see why not, alright.” She turned to Rei, “Rei-chan, we are going to head for the bathroom.”  
  
“Take as long as you need to,” Rei waved them off.  
  


* * *

****

  
Half an hour later, Minako came back. “Well, I’m finished.” She turned to the hallway, “Come on out, Lux.” Minako called.  
  
Lux stepped into the brightly lit room, her hair cropped to the same length as Kirito’s and dyed to match.  
  
“I don’t see how this will help things.” Haruka sneered at Lux and Kirito.  
  
Kirito smirked, “Lux, cast the spell.”  
  
“ _Skuggi spegill, gefðu mér það form sem endurspeglast._ ” Lux intoned, raising her right hand over her head. As she spoke, the Words of Power encircled her, and then her form exploded in that dark grey of Shadow Magic.  
  
When the glow dissipated, the person standing there looked to be Kirito’s nearly identical twin sister. She smiled. “Greetings, I am Kuro,” she said.

* * *

  
  
**February 21, 2025; Japan: Nerima Ward**  
  
Rameses hit the ground with a thud as the teleport finished and bit back a curse. He hadn’t had that happen since he was ten. He knew that a teleport like that could have consequences and took mental stock of himself. _Let’s see, crotch, arms, legs, feet, hands, fingers, toes, ears, eyes… looks like everything important is there,_ he thought _. Good. Wouldn’t want to have lost them. Healer Hakonia would fix the damage, so long as everything arrived with me, but that she would be as charmingly caustic as she always is when it comes to patching someone up who got hurt for something so stupid. And the less said about how she would chew my ass out if she had to reattach a limb, again, the better. Whoever said that Undine women are calm and demure hasn’t met her._  
  
Then again, given that she had been the senior healer responsible for patching up Royal Guard cadets, she probably needed to have the personality she had in order to get some of them to _not_ get ahead of themselves. Hurt feelings and pride when being patched up by her might mean that she wasn’t having to sign off on a death report later. He had seen her swear fit to tear bulkheads the last time some idiot tried to duplicate how the Princess was said to have taken down a Titan Scorpion and got a stinger up the ass for it.  
  
 _Saying she should put a barrier in his colon and leave the venom sack there so he would be shitting venom for the next week was a bit much, though,_ Rameses thought with amused recollection. _Skuggi was laughing about that for an hour when she heard about it, though._ He made a note to send a message to the Spriggan his parents had taken in after everything and later adopted. True, that meant that she was officially renamed Kebechet, but he still called his adopted older sister by the diminutive of her original name of Skuggað Ljós, unless he was well and truly angry at her. _Then_ he called her by her adopted name.  
  
A disgruntled yowl told him that Rājakumāri had managed to come with him. At least she hadn’t been left behind, he’d have been very worried if she hadn’t been caught up in the teleport. She would have raised enough hell to get every pride of Saber Tigers within ten floors scrambling to get away from her, if that happened. Skuggi _might_ be able to calm her down until he made his way back from wherever the teleport took him, but that was so she could join the sabercat in making her own displeasure known for how he worried her.  
  
He heard a chirp and opened his eyes to see the feathered dragon he had chased into an unintended teleport taking wing. “Oh, no you don’t,” he growled as he stood. “Come here, you!”  
  
As he chased it, he didn’t take notice of his very different surroundings save for making sure to not bump into anyone. That they were all headed in the opposite direction in fear was also missed in his focus on the chase. The roar that was spurring them on in their flight, however, wasn’t.  
  
He knew that roar, and an icicle of dread colder than Neptune’s moons began to creep down his back.  
  
What was an Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu doing here? They had all been killed off, albeit at the cost of more than half of the military forces stationed on Aincrad, before they all began to go into stasis! _Better yet,_ he thought as he took stock of his surroundings. _Where are we? This… this isn’t anywhere I’ve seen on any floor I’ve been to and I’ve explored most of Aincrad._ _It’s almost like I’m not…_ The roar sounded again and he shook himself. _Worry about that later, there is an_ Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu _here and that feathered dragon_ _is flying in that direction!_  
  
He began to increase his pace, bringing up his Mystic Tome and selecting the option to pull items out. He had the basic loadout of weapons and armor, no one left the towns of Aincrad without having a means to defend themselves these days. If he was headed towards where an Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu was, he wasn’t going there unarmed.  
  
He had weapons and civilian issue protective gear. He could also do basic Sword Skills and the few offensive spells he knew. If it came to a fight, he probably couldn’t kill the damn thing, but he could distract it long enough for people to get out of the area before he broke contact and retreated as well.  
  
And if he couldn’t break and run… he would do his damned best to kill the thing or die trying.


	13. Good News is Always Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asuna finds out that Aincrad lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nānu adannu gamanaseḷeyuttēne! Nim'mondige garagasada āghātavannu tegedukoḷḷi mattu illinda horabanni! Nānu illiyē iruttēne, nīvu tuṇḍu tuṇḍu! - I'll distract it! Take that feathered menace with you and get out of here! I'm over here, you piece of shit!
> 
> Narakadalli īga naraka hel nānu ōḍuttiddēne, innū nālku ive! - No way in Hell am I running! There are four more!
> 
> Nīvu nanage hēḷalu artha, nālku innū baruttive? - You mean to tell me, there are four more coming?
> 
> Adu nānu hēḷide - That's what I said.
> 
> Nōvannu mandagoḷisidantahavugaḷalli nānu yāke baḷasalilla? - Why didn't I use one of the ones that would dull the pain first?
> 
> Oh, beḷigge nānu bhāvisuttiddēne… - Oh, I am going to feel that in the morning.
> 
> Nīvu sari, magu - Are you all right, kid?
> 
> Nim'ma hesarannu nanage hēḷaballirā? - Can you tell me your name?
> 
> Nānu cennāgiddēne. Nōyisu, ādare īga cennāgi. - I'm fine. Sore, but I'm fine now.
> 
> Mattu īga nānu heccu uttamavāgide. Ā gariyannu ḍryāgan rājakumāriya sansāradindalē irabēku. - Much better now. That feathered dragon must be from the Princess' Brood.
> 
> Cintisabēḍi, nānu cennāgiruttēne - Don't worry, I'm fine.
> 
> Adu murida tōḷu mattu eraḍu pakkelubugaḷu mātra, nānu keṭṭaddannu hondiddēve. - It was only a broken arm and two ribs, I've had worse.
> 
> Meṭṭilu ap - Up the Stairs.
> 
> Ondu kappu tuṇṭa, illi - A Dark Elf, here?
> 
> Haudu. Avaḷa hesaru, nānu sariyāgi nenapisikoṇḍare, Tilnel Nightwalker. Avaḷu vaidyanāgiddaḷu. - Yes. Her name is, if I remember correctly, Tilnel Nightwalker. She's a healer.
> 
> Nantara nanna mēle pariśīlisalu hōguttade. Avaḷu hīlar Hakonia iṣṭavilla endu bhāvisuttēve. - Going to check on me then. Hope she's not like Healer Hakonia
> 
> Biṭṭukoḍu, nīvu ā kaṭṭi bēku mānava, Idu uttarakkāgi yāvudē tegedukoḷḷuvudilla - Give up, you're that sabercat's human. It won't take no for an answer.
> 
> Rājakumāri avaḷa gamanavannu bayasidāga athavā nānu cennāgiruttēne endu khacitapaḍisikoḷḷalu kēvala keṭṭaddāgide. - Rājakumāri is just as bad when she wants attention, or to make sure I'm fine.
> 
> Hāgādare avanu idannu ēke māḍuvudilla Aki - Then why doesn't he do that to Aki
> 
> Rameses, ondu sthānavannu tegedukoḷḷi - Rameses, take a seat.
> 
> Adannu naguvudu, nim'ma bekkininda nīvu santōṣada mette māḍuvavaregū kāyiri, - Laugh it up, just wait until your cat decides to use you as a pillow.
> 
> Nīvu īga iṣṭapaḍuttīrā - Who says she hasn't?
> 
> Haudu, haudu, nīnu oḷḷeya snēhita, Rājakumāri… - Yes, yes, you're a good friend, Rājakumāri...
> 
> Idu ṭrik māḍide. Nānu eccaragoṇḍāga laghuvāgi ēnannādarū hiḍidirabēku, ādare nanna heccu śaktiyuta myājikna virud'dha hōrāḍalu athavā baḷasabēkāgide endu nānu nirīkṣisiralilla. - That did the trick. Should have grabbed something to snack on when I woke up, but I didn't expect to have to fight or use that much of my more powerful magic.
> 
> Kirito-kun, taizai. - Kirito, stay.
> 
> Shikashi, koreha mata betsu no ressun ni narudeshou ne? - But, this is going to be another lesson, isn't it?
> 
> Hai, koreha-betsu no ressundesu, - Yes, this is another lesson.
> 
> Ima, chūiwoharau. - Now, pay attention.
> 
> Hai, Taichou. - Yes, Captain

**February 21, 2025: Japan**  
  
“There are still five more Youma left,” Silica said as she desperately tried to keep her breathing even and level, rather than the deep panting she wanted to do. This was her first night out on Patrol, albeit an unofficial one, given that both the Princess and Commander were keeping those under fifteen from the patrol rosters for now. Not that she was stupid enough to go out in a way where she couldn’t get backup if she stepped in it.  
  
She was confident in her skills, but she had already learned _that_ particular lesson.  
  
The Commander and Princess most certainly _hadn’t_ talked about how some of those they kept off the rosters could potentially shadow patrol groups in her earshot. Or that they had discussed the communication and messaging protocols to be used until they had better options. Or, the fact that they had left a list of cell phone numbers linked to DDA members and a few others she knew out in plain sight for her to grab. Or the patrol schedule. Or a key to a drop box that had a decent real world replacement for her dagger, let alone some light ballistics body armor…  
  
Yes, they hadn’t left her everything she needed to shadow a patrol, be able to defend herself, and have at least _some_ protection. Her doing so was very much _not_ sanctioned, officially or unofficially. And she would swear such on her honor and blade. She was doing this all on her own initiative, using tools she acquired herself, yes she was.  
  
And she would call anyone who believed it, complete idiots.  
  
 _Then again, who is the idiot right now?_ She thought. Yes, she had shadowed the group. One that knew that she was doing so. Schivata would swear up and down that she hadn’t been, of course, she was simply in the area, but they knew she was there. She had been the one who alerted them to the Youma and then started aiding in evacuating people.  
  
And naturally, she had run into a pack of a dozen. She managed to kill two and draw the rest away from the fleeing people. She had been playing hide and seek with them, occasionally ambushing one and then fleeing before the rest could react, for the last thirty minutes.  
  
It had worked so far, she had managed to kill seven of them this way. But she was tiring. _How many were there?_ She wondered. _Schivata and the others should have…_  
  
Silica stiffened when she heard a familiar chirped cry and felt some of her stamina returning to her. She didn’t dare turn her head to look, even as a familiar weight settled across her shoulders. _No way,_ she thought.  
  
[Silica!]  
  
“Pina,” she said quietly as she saw a Youma approach, only for it to be hit by something glowing orange that exploded, staggering it.  
  
“ _Nānu adannu gamanaseḷeyuttēne!_ ” A voice shouted. “ _Nim'mondige garagasada āghātavannu tegedukoḷḷi mattu illinda horabanni!_ _Nānu illiyē iruttēne, nīvu tuṇḍu tuṇḍu!”_  
  
Silica turned her eyes and saw a boy who couldn’t be much older than her, a year at most, and wearing what seemed to be some type of armored clothing. He held a simple sword in his hand, and from his grip on the weapon and his posture, he was no novice with handling a weapon. But it was his words that got her full attention. They weren’t in Japanese. They were in Lunarian, and they were telling her to flee.  
  
There was no way she was running, not while someone else was fighting. If it was the Commander, the Princess, or one of the Senshi telling her, she might, but not a stranger. Besides, he was fighting alone.  
  
And there were four other Youma around which would be drawn to the fighting. She had been using hit and run tactics, ambushes, and picking them off one by one for a reason. A single Youma? Easy. Two? A bit more difficult but doable. More than that? She wasn’t going to take them on in a direct fight if she could help it, no matter how confident she was in her skills. She had killed two early on to get their attention, and the other five via opportune attacks.  
  
It wasn’t as if Silica didn’t understand what the kid was saying either, but since she wasn’t as knowledgeable in Lunarian as she would have liked, it took her a moment to mentally translate what he’d said.  
  
“ _Narakadalli īga naraka hel nānu ōḍuttiddēne, innū nālku ive!_ ” She shouted back. “Pina, how am I doing?”  
  
[You’ll be back to full strength soon,] came the reply.  
  
Good, that meant that she’d be able to handle the rest if needed. She could tell, just from watching him that this kid knew Magic and Swordplay because he needed to, not because he was a trained soldier. Not that she necessarily qualified as one, either, but Lind and several other members of the DDA _were_. She knew what to look for.  
  
“ _Nālku?!”_ Came the response as the boy dodged a swipe by the youma and removed its arm and then its head. “ _Nīvu nanage hēḷalu artha, nālku innū baruttive?"_  
  
“ _Adu nānu hēḷide,_ ” Silica replied. She then saw four shadows show up on the wall. Four shadows that weren’t _human_. “Damn it! They’re here!”  
  


* * *

****

  
“ _Chikushō! Karera wa kita!_ ”  
  
At the tone of the girl’s voice, Rameses spun around, his heart leaping into his throat when he saw the four shadows. While he might not understand what she said, it was probably her native language, her tone made her feelings clear. _Well, this isn’t good_ , he thought. _She did say there were four more in the area._ The chirps of the feathered dragon indicated to him that this girl was a Beast Tamer, and that the dragon was her first partner.  
  
But, _how was that possible_? And, even though he was happy that he could communicate with the girl… even if he didn’t recognize the language she probably would otherwise be using, and he recognized every major language spoken in the Kingdom, even if he only knew three. But the fact that this obviously _wasn’t_ anywhere on Aincrad, the how or why she recognized the feathered dragon well enough to give it a name was puzzling.  
  
He could ask her where and how she learned it later. They now had to deal with _four_ Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu instead of the _one_ that he’d thought was here. “Rājakumāri, come here,” he called to his friend. It looked like they were going to have to put some of their more recent training to use. That he seemed to have run into a budding Beast Tamer who had bonded with a _Garigaḷiruva ḍryāgan_ was a true godsend.  
  
While she somehow knew Lunarian well enough to make herself understood, Rameses knew that she lacked the smooth fluency someone who had used it for years would have, meaning there was a barrier between them that would make coordination… _difficult_.  
  
That did not mean that it was impossible, just very, _very_ hard… _difficult_. She could understand him, and if she used Lunarian, he would understand her, but the communication issue would still be present. That was why taking down the four new Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu would merely be difficult rather than nearly impossible.  
  
Wait… he had something that could possibly equalize the odds. If he could get the time to use his Mystic Tome, that is. He didn’t bring it out due to the possibility of others being in the area. But now, with only him and the girl? He could chance it.  
  
He had it drummed into him to never use a pulser when there was a crowd of people unless absolutely necessary. Unlike a sword, the hypersonic flechettes it fired, which travelled at speeds measured in stadia per second, _would_ go through most organic things he was shooting at unless it was armored more heavily than the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu apparently were, and keep going, risking anyone behind the target. Of course, they could simply be tough enough to take the shots and not be hindered by them.  
  
It was a good thing that they lost velocity quickly and would shatter against something hard enough, like the sides of a building made of something tougher than wood. Otherwise, Aincrad would need more repairs to its outer shell on a regular basis than it already did. Shrapnel and spalling would be a concern if other people were still nearby, but the area was clear as far as he could tell.  
  
Rameses looked at the girl again, “Can you buy me a few seconds?” He called to her, “I have something that should help, but I need to get it out first.”  
  
He saw her look at him, and he could tell that she was mentally translating what he’d said.  
  
After a moment, she gave him a smirk, nod and a “ _Hai!_ ”  
  
From her nod of agreement, Rameses came to the conclusion that _hai_ had to be a confirmation in whatever her native language was. He watched her lunge towards their opponents for a moment before opening his Mystic Tome.  
  
He scrolled through what he was carrying and found what he was looking for. “Ok, I’m ready!” he called and he pulled the pulser out and disabled the safety.  
  
He heard her say something and jump gracefully out of the way as he took aim and squeezed the trigger. A hum and crack sounded as the flechette shot out and blew through the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu, felling it and causing it to dissipate into dust. He aimed and fired one shot at each of the others, killing another, blowing one of the limbs off a second, and staggering the last one.  
  
He clicked the safety back on and put the pulser away with his Mystic Tome before drawing his sword again. He _might_ have had the time to get off more shots, but at this range, they could also easily close on him before he could get more than a few off. He had learned the hard way last Awakening that using a pulser at close fighting range was not a good idea.  
  
The girl was already on the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu that was missing a limb. Looks like he was going to have to take on the one that was just staggered.  
  
That was fine, since he didn’t know what she could handle. He was almost positive that he could handle the last one, especially if his Sabercat was willing to lend her claws. But first...  
  
“ _Eldar í helvíti, brenna fjandmaðurinn minn!_ ” He chanted quickly, sending the fire spell at the creature, causing it to scream in pain when it hit. He was already charging it when a different and far more powerful spell hit it, throwing him to the side from the shock of the impact and into a wall.  
  
And then he knew only pain as he felt one of his arms and two of his ribs break from trying to impersonate an unstoppable force wanting to have a forbidden relationship with an immovable object.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito had just rounded the corner when he saw Silica slam her knee into Sailor Uranus’ groin, sending the Senshi to the ground, clutching the area in clear pain. From the flash right before, she had apparently used a Martial Arts based Sword Skill to give the blow more force. When had she...? Also, _ow_. So it did hurt women as much as it hurt men.  
  
“Silica, when did you pick up the Martial Arts Extra Skill?” He asked when he got in range.  
  
“About two months before you cleared SAO, Commander,” Silica replied, not taking her eyes off of Senshi Uranus. She opened her mouth to say something else when what sounded like some very vocal and pained swearing sounded off from the side.  
  
 _Let’s see, I can hear Lunarian in there,_ Kirito thought. _And what sounds like what’s used for spells in ALO and one other language as well. And from the Lunarian I can clearly understand, he wants to have some words about lines of fire and making sure blast area is clear with the spell happy spawn of a- I think he said limbless letch and a diseased whore there. Looks like he was too close when Senshi Uranus’s spell hit the Youma._  
  
“Pina, can you go heal him please?” She asked her friend.  
  
Kirito was about to point out that Pina wasn’t around when a familiar chirp caused him to turn his head to see a Feathered Dragon fly off to where a red-headed boy was getting to his feet.  
  
“ _Nōvannu mandagoḷisidantahavugaḷalli nānu yāke baḷasalilla?_ ” He heard the boy say, clearly still in pain. “ _Oh, beḷigge nānu bhāvisuttiddēne…_ ”  
  
Kirito made his way over to the boy, “ _Nīvu sari, magu_?” He asked as he helped him to his feet, and ignoring the scowl of the boy at being called a kid. “ _Nim'ma hesarannu nanage hēḷaballirā?_ ”  
  
“What in the hell were you thinking _,_ you trigger happy maniac?!” He heard Silica shout. “That spell of yours could have _killed_ him if he was any closer to the blast! Be glad it only threw him. If his hitting the wall killed him, I would have done more than cunt punt you! I would have started with _stabbing_ you, and then seeing if I could _spay_ you before having things go downhill from there!”  
  
The boy blinked up into Kirito’s face, “Rameses.” He said slowly. “ _Nānu cennāgiddēne. Nōyisu, ādare īga cennāgi._ ” A brief shower of blue washed over him, causing him to sigh in relief. “ _Mattu īga nānu heccu uttamavāgide. Ā gariyannu ḍryāgan rājakumāriya sansāradindalē irabēku._ ”  
  
Kirito sighed in relief. That was good, but where had this kid come from and why did he speak in Lunarian? They’d have to get the answers later. He turned his attention to Silica. “I take it Hathor of Uranus didn’t look to see what was going on before she cast her spell?”  
  
“Yes!” Silica hissed as Pina landed on her shoulder and started grooming her hair.  
  
“Well, I’m not really surprised, she’s been questioning our ability to handle the Youma since we made ourselves known to the Senshi.” He mused. “Which actually doesn’t line up with my Fiancée’s memories.”  
  
“Why is that?” Silica asked as she started petting Pina’s feathers.  
  
“Well, according to Cerridwen…” Kirito paused when he saw his friend’s confusion. “We can’t use her civilian name and she thinks being called Senshi Moon sounds silly. And using the name she used to have would paint a target on her back.” He explained.  
  
Silica nodded in understanding. “But why Cerridwen?”  
  
“Because Cerridwen was _her_ Grandmother.” Asuna cut in, turning her attention very briefly to the two of them before turning her attention back to Senshi Uranus. “Carry on, Kirito-kun.”  
  
“As I was saying, according to Cerridwen, Hathor was always respectful to Heathcliff’s memories, and when she wasn’t on duty, she could often be found on Aincrad helping the recruits train. She held everyone that lived in the Castle in really high regard and saw potential in even the freshest of recruits.” Kirito paused, “I do understand why she doesn’t really trust us right now, because we haven’t really had the time to prove that we can handle ourselves yet. But I hadn’t thought that she’d actively try to kill any of mine…”  
  
“To be fair, I don’t think she intended to hurt, any of us,” Silica said. “She just didn’t check her lane of fire and make sure that the blast area was clear.”  
  
“Lane of fire?” Kirito asked. “You learn that from Lind?”  
  
Silica nodded. “He was an officer in the JGSDF, Commander,” she said. “I picked up a few things from him and some other DDA members. Anyway, has she at least begun to warm up to the Princess?”  
  
“Not from what I’ve seen, unfortunately, and I’ve been to every meeting since we were asked to attend.” Kirito sighed. “And now we have to deal with this kid too.” He gestured to Rameses.  
  
“ _Cintisabēḍi, nānu cennāgiruttēne,_ ” he said when they all looked at him. “ _Adu murida tōḷu mattu eraḍu pakkelubugaḷu mātra, nānu keṭṭaddannu hondiddēve._ ”  
  
“I don’t want to know what he has had that was worse,” Silica said after a moment.  
  
Kirito chuckled as his phone rang and he pulled it out. His brother was calling. “Yes?”  
  
“Kirito, I detected a large burst of magic in your area about ten minutes ago that had all the hallmarks of a powerful Teleport, is everything well? _”_ His brother asked.  
  
“It’s fine Heathcliff, it wasn’t any Youma coming in to crash the party.” He noticed the boy’s startled reaction. “It was something else. Remember Pina?”  
  
“Pina, that was the name of Silica’s Feathered Dragon, yes?”  
  
“Yes,” Kirito replied. “To make a long story short, she’s here. And she brought some… guests. One human, he seems to know Lunarian a bit too well to have learned it in SAO. Too natural. Oh, there’s a cat as well. Hmm, looks like a Sabercat. Smaller than Ēkate and leaner of frame, but yeah.” He pulled his phone away from his ear and counted down from five. He made it to two before the shocked reply came.  
  
“WHAT?!”  
  
Asuna put a hand to her mouth in a vain attempt to hide her laughter. She found it amusing how well her Kirito knew his brother after only two years that he knew to pull his phone away from his ear after saying that.  
  
“You heard me,” Kirito said as he brought his phone back to his ear. “And I know you have figured out what that might mean.”  
  
“That Aincrad might not only still be around, but is both functional and still inhabited,” Heathcliff replied. “Bring him to the Hikawa Shrine. I’ll need to debrief him. Also, outside of what seemed to be someone doing the impossible and teleporting from Aincrad to Earth on his own, I just got word from Senshi Mars that her divinations have turned up no further Youma activity. We will do a debrief as soon as you arrive. And then, we will have a conversation with our guest.”  
  
“Yes sir, understood.” Kirito replied, hanging up. “Okay, there is nothing else out here, we need to head back to the Hikawa Shrine to do a debriefing. Silica, make sure Rameses, that’s his name, comes with us. The Captain wants to talk with him. And knowing Tilnel, she will want to look him over.”  
  
Rameses perked up upon hearing his name. He was clearly annoyed that he couldn’t understand them, though.  
  
Silica gave him a smile and started to repeat most of what the Commander had just said for him, slowly so that she could choose the proper words.  
  
Rameses nodded once she was finished.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Asuna finally let go of Senshi Uranus’ ear when they got within sight on the steps up to the shrine.  
  
Senshi Uranus rubbed her ear as she straightened herself and looked ready to say something when Asuna cut her off with a quick flare of the magical power that was sleeping beneath the surface. Nothing visible, but she could tell that the Senshi of Uranus felt it and understood the warning behind it.  
  
“I will deal with you, _later_.” Asuna gave Uranus a sweet smile with a lot of teeth that sent a shiver of terror down Uranus’s spine.  
  
The look on Asuna’s face made it clear that she was furious and that this was not over. “Up the stairs, Hathor.” She instructed. “ _Now_!”  
  
Rameses turned to look at the two of them with surprise in his eyes.  
  
“Meṭṭilu ap, Rameses.” Kirito said as he started to ascend. “Silica, let’s go.”  
  
“Yes sir!” Silica called, hurrying after him.  
  
Asuna reached up and pulled on Uranus’ ear, “Follow, now.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kayaba Akihiko’s eyes roved over his brother’s form for a moment before turning his attention to Silica, and then the boy that was possibly from Aincrad. His hands snapped out, preventing Tilnel from jumping on them all. “You need to wait _,_ Tilnel.”  
  
The young Dark Elf’s pout made him laugh. “But _Captain_ …” she whined. Ah, of _course_ she would want news and to find out how Aincrad had fared in the intervening ten thousand years after The Fall. Aincrad had been her home, even after she and Kizmel had been moved to be Serenity’s attendants.  
  
“You can do that _after_ the debriefing.” He soothed the Healer.  
  
Her pout didn’t leave, if anything, it deepened.  
  
The boy made an inquisitive sound. “ _Ondu kappu tuṇṭa, illi?_ ” He asked, seemingly to himself.  
  
“ _Haudu,_ ” Silica replied. “ _Avaḷa hesaru, nānu sariyāgi nenapisikoṇḍare, Tilnel Nightwalker. Avaḷu vaidyanāgiddaḷu."_  
  
“ _Nantara nanna mēle pariśīlisalu hōguttade,_ ” the boy said. “ _Avaḷu hīlar Hakonia iṣṭavilla endu bhāvisuttēve._ ”  
  
A flash from Heathcliff’s memories came to him. An Undine woman, known for her sharp tongue when someone got injured on her watch for what she considered stupid or foolish reasons. And the memory had a combined mix of fondness and… fear?  
  
Tilnel shivered. “I remember her,” she said. “And she is _worse_ than you remember. She’s an inspiration for all prospective Healers though… And even more terrifying to learn under.”  
  
“A bit strict?” Kayaba asked.  
  
“Take the strictest and most foul mouthed drill sergeant you can think of, pump them full of medical knowledge, and have that person be in charge of instructing healers,” Tilnel replied drily.  
  
“And she was… hmm, _His_ memories recall her as an Undine…?” Kayaba asked.  
  
“Yes,” Tilnel replied. “An Undine. Who could curse at you in all of the major languages of the Kingdom for an hour without repeating herself. While telling you what you are doing wrong, how to do it right, and, if necessary, use _you_ as the dummy for a demonstration. At the same time.” She shook her head. “And I don’t know who said that Undine women are supposed to be gentle and demure, but they must have forgotten to give her the memo. She was a good healer, _very_ good, and never let anyone die on her watch if she could help it, but her personality…”  
  
“So we need to be on our best behavior if we ever get to visit…” Kayaba muttered to himself as Kazuto approached them.  
  
“Captain, Healer Tilnel.” His brother greeted, placing his fist across the chest in a salute.  
  
“Commander, report,” Kayaba said. “Just a summary right now. I will want you and the other squad leaders to give me a more detailed one later.”  
  
Kirito nodded. “We had five Youma incursions across Tokyo, each with over fifty Youma,” he said. “Two here in Minato, one in Setagaya, one in Chiyoda, and one in Nerima. From the last report, all of the Youma have been eliminated. Senshi Mercury took the field and was supported by Rikuokeidar’s group in one of the Minato incursions. Klein and the Fuurinkazan supported Senshi Venus in the other incursion. The Setagaya incursion was dealt with by Cerridwen, myself, and two squads. The Nerima incursion was defeated by the DDA, with Silica having drawn off a group of twelve Youma that were threatening civilians. We can account for seven confirmed Youma kills by her, with the last five being killed at the location where she had her altercation with Senshi Uranus after a friendly fire incident that resulted in one wounded. Our casualties were fifteen wounded, all minor, and no deaths.”  
  
Kayaba nodded. “And the boy?” He asked.  
  
“From what Silica has mentioned, he killed three of the Youma,” Kirito said. “One with a sword and magic and two with some kind of gun at range. He was charging in to attack one of the surviving Youma when Senshi Uranus attacked and killed it, catching him along the edge of the blast. We arrived when she physically attacked Senshi Uranus in retaliation to the friendly fire.”  
  
Ēkate chose that moment to bound out of the Shrine and pounce on his brother. The Sabercat having obviously gotten tired of waiting inside. He meowed loudly, as if he was scolding Kazuto for making him wait so long.  
  
Kazuto took a few steps backward so that he wouldn’t lose his balance this time, “Now isn’t the _time_ , Ēkate.” He scolded, trying to put the huge cat back on the ground.  
  
“Biṭṭukoḍu, nīvu ā kaṭṭi bēku mānava,” the boy said with some humor in his voice. “Idu uttarakkāgi yāvudē tegedukoḷḷuvudilla. Rājakumāri avaḷa gamanavannu bayasidāga athavā nānu cennāgiruttēne endu khacitapaḍisikoḷḷalu kēvala keṭṭaddāgide.”  
  
The Sabercat sank his claws into the material of Kazuto’s jacket and refused to let go.  
  
Kayaba had to cover his mouth to hide his smile of amusement.  
  
Kazuto sent Rameses an annoyed glance, “Hāgādare avanu idannu ēke māḍuvudilla Aki?” he mumbled to himself.  
  
That made Kayaba snort, causing Kazuto to send him a glare. A giggle and another snort had him shoot a look at Silica and the boy, both who had clearly overheard it.  
  
Kazuto sighed, “Fine, you fat cat,” he grumbled, “It’s just as well I was finished with the Summary anyway…”  
  


* * *

****

  
Tilnel looked over the boy, who had a resigned look on his face. A brief conversation to get the most pertinent information about his identity, such as his name and age, and she began to look him over. Just because his wounds were healed, her scans were already telling her that he had a number of healed wounds on him and an impressive collection of scars for someone his age. She was also checking for any other potential issues, like any diseases endemic to the Kingdom that wouldn’t cause _him_ to get worse than mildly sick but could cause a devastating pandemic on the Earth of today, that he might not know about.  
  
The Pox being one of them. Their medical abilities were good enough to reduce it to a childhood and adolescent disease. But on Earth, it had mutated and been a devastating plague for nearly the entirety of this era’s recorded history, six thousand years, until they developed an effective vaccine and eliminated it with the kind of fervor normally seen in fanatics.  
  
“You’re taking this with better grace than Princess Serenity did, Young Rameses,” Tilnel said conversationally as she moved her hand of his bare chest to check his ribs. She already knew that his wounds had been healed, she had questioned him when a quick spell informed her that he didn’t have any wounds he was trying to ignore.  
  
“Oh, right, you were the Princess’ personal Physician before she died,” Silica piped up as she preened the feathers of a feathered dragon with her fingers. “And with her being _umarekawari,_ I’m surprised you’re not insisting on it now.”  
  
“ _Umarekawari_?” Rameses asked.  
  
“She’s using her native word for reincarnated,” Tilnel said.  
  
“But, how can she… This isn’t…” Rameses didn’t know where he was, _still_ , and he wasn’t sure how to articulate just how lost he was feeling. Finally, his shoulders slumped. “Where am I?”  
  
“Welcome to Earth, Rameses.” Came a chuckling voice from behind them.  
  
Tilnel smiled at the person over Rameses shoulder and she saw Rameses turn to follow the Healer’s gaze. It was Asuna. “Princess, I take it that your conversation with Princess Hathor’s reincarnation went well?” She asked, switching to Japanese easily.  
  
Asuna sighed. “About as well as can be expected,” she replied in the same language. “She knows that we’re not all talk now, and a flare of my magic demonstrated that I am not someone she wants to be on the bad side of, but I can tell that she’s going to be a problem. Now I see why Inanna tries to keep her and Nakama to destroying Jadeite’s storage facilities, even if the damage they do has her burning favors with the police on a regular basis. Less chance of collateral casualties.” She looked at Silica. “Silica, I would recommend that you stay away from her for a bit. Your bringing her to the ground by cunt punching her like you did has stung her pride. Had she been expecting it, it wouldn’t have done anything. Also, Inanna heard about it and is interested in seeing what you know. Maybe even possibly teaching you a few other tricks.”  
  
“I’ll have to run that by Lind, but I’d love to learn under her.” Silica agreed with a bright smile.  
  
“Just what we need,” Another voice said with a bit of mocking sarcasm, “Little Sister learning _even more_ dirty tricks…” They all turned, seeing that it was Kirito, who had a smile full of teeth. “I foresee that she will be a bad influence on her. Study hard Silica.”  
  
“Yes sir!” Silica agreed cheerfully. There was a long moment as the second name Asuna said sank in. “Na-Nakama?”  
  
Asuna nodded, “Of Neptune.”  
  
“You do know what that means in Japanese… right?” Silica asked.  
  
Asuna grinned, “Kirito-kun pointed it out of course, you can laugh if you want. I haven’t used her name when actually talking to her yet because she hasn’t done anything to warrant a chat yet.”  
  
Silica collapsed in a fit of giggles.  
  
“Why is her name funny?” Rameses ventured to ask.  
  
Asuna gave him a wickedly amused smile. “Because her name in our new language means _companion_ , Rameses.” She explained in Lunarian.  
  
Rameses thought that over and then snorted. “Okay, that’s funny, given what I know of her from before everything going to Tartarus,” he said.  
  
“She certainly wasn’t a people person back then,” Asuna agreed. “She could be polite and handle functions to a point, but she was more like Hathor’s reincarnation is apparently like now.”  
  
“But from the stories I’ve heard… Princess Hathor was always on Aincrad when she wasn’t on duty…” He frowned, “Why did her personality become more like Princess Nakama’s?”  
  
“All of the Princesses and quite a few others were reincarnated,” Asuna said. “Even Princess Serenity was, me, and I am not the same person she was. Anyway, different lives, different experiences, and such will make for a different person. Reincarnation was poorly understood back then, it is even more poorly understood even now, but those who were reincarnated are not supposed to have the memories of their past lives. Having them awaken in you can be… traumatic. When _Her_ memories started awakening in me, I was worried that I would lose who I was, even if they proved useful when we were dealing with SAO.”  
  
“Ess-ay-oh?” Rameses asked.  
  
“It was a simulation of Aincrad,” Asuna said. “One that Captain Heathcliff’s reincarnation made specifically to train soldiers to help the Senshi fight the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu, we call them Youma, that have been active for the last decade. With the exception of one, Princess Persephone, all of their reincarnations have had their memories and their roles of Guardian awaken in that time, with Princess Inanna being the first.”  
  
“So Princess Persephone doesn’t have her past memories?” Rameses asked.  
  
“No, she has them,” Asuna said. “She just hasn’t awakened into her role as the Guardian of Saturn or the Bringer of Silence, which she is very thankful for.”  
  
“Yes…” Kirito agreed, “Especially since we had to stop her from jumping off the side of the simulated Aincrad when she first remembered.” His eyes darkened, “We had to put her on suicide watch for a while… because the first thing she remembered was bringing The Silence. She’s a sweet girl, so you can imagine how she took it.”  
  
“Well, that theory is confirmed,” Rameses said with a wince. “We always wondered, and that was something that those who may or may not know what really happened said. Not a memory _I_ would want, let alone anyone else.”  
  
“There’s a reason, Moira hasn’t told Nakama or Hathor what happened,” Asuna agreed. “It’s only something the three of them can do. It’s a decision I agree with, for now, though I did tell her that I am reserving the right to inform them if they force certain issues.”  
  
Rameses nodded in understanding.  
  
“Well, with that conversation topic over with, I can change the subject and say we’re done,” Tilnel said. “You’re healthy, but I would recommend that you take it easy for the next few days. That healing crystal may have healed the broken bones, and that feathered dragon healed anything else, but it’s best to be on the safe side. And…” A rumbling sound could be heard. “... I would recommend you eat a full meal and then get some rest as soon as possible. That healing crystal had to get the energy to heal you from somewhere, after all.”  
  
Rameses blushed. “I might have some rations in the Holding Space my Mystic Tome can access,” he said. “If I did, and they survived a thousand years in stasis, they’ll be a little plain, but still edible. I would have picked some fresh ones up, along with some fresh spices, before my unscheduled trip due to a certain feathered dragon anyway.”  
  
“Why do that, when we can get you something we know is good?” Asuna asked. “Rauni runs a bakery in this life, and she would have brought something to at least snack on that we can give you to hold you over until we get or go out and buy something more substantive. I know that there are some people who will have questions as to Aincrad’s state. But that can wait until we make sure your stomach’s not trying to eat you.”  
  
Rameses’ stomach rumbled again, causing him to flush in embarrassment. A meow drew his attention to Rājakumāri, who was giving him a look. “Do you think we can get something for Rājakumāri?” He asked. “She tends to get a bit cranky when she’s hungry.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kino Makoto looked up from where she was sitting, studying the maps that had been all marked up. They had all suspected for a while that the Dark Kingdom might be expanding their network and attacking outside of the Patrol Routes they themselves used.  
  
Seeing the diagram on a map only confirmed their suspicions. The reality of just how much larger the Dark Kingdom’s web had grown when compared to what the seven of them could reasonably Patrol, however, was a sobering reminder of just how outnumbered they had been before SAO had concluded. And while having their suspicions confirmed was kind of nice… they had massively underestimated just how big that web had become.  
  
They had thought that they were holding their own, but the revelation that the Dark Kingdom’s activities were far larger and more entrenched than even Mina thought, said otherwise. If it wasn’t for Uranus and Neptune routinely targeting Jadeite’s storage facilities as soon as they were found and often ruining weeks of energy collection efforts in the process, then the Dark Kingdom would be considered to be _winning_.  
  
“Rauni, are there any snacks from the meeting left” Asuna asked as she came inside.  
  
“There should be,” Makoto replied, turning to the platter that she’d brought. “There isn’t much left though.”  
  
“With how much we need to eat because of our magic usage, I’m really not surprised,” Kirito said as he followed Asuna inside. “We also found a few visitors.”  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened when she saw the boy. “This is Rameses,” Kirito said before turning to the boy. “Rameses, ondu sthānavannu tegedukoḷḷi.”  
  
Makoto blinked at the language used. She felt like she could understand it, despite the fact that the extent of her linguistic ability was her native Japanese and the English she learned in school. Didn’t The Princess…? She shook that thought out of her mind. “Where did this kid come from?” she asked Kirito.  
  
“To the best of our knowledge, Aincrad,” Kirito replied. “It seems that its inhabitants survived The Fall. And before you ask, this is speculation based on the fact that he has said a few things that _only_ a resident of Aincrad would know. Not an SAO Survivor, but someone who comes from Aincrad.”  
  
Makoto eyed the boy, “Rameses…” She mused, “I’m remembering a Dark Elf by that name. However, that’s not important, it wasn’t _that_ uncommon a name back then from what little I can recall. He obviously needs to eat, though. I’m going to make use of Rei’s kitchen, will the rest of you be staying as well?” She asked, having noticed that Heathcliff and Silica had followed them in.  
  
Kirito looked up into Heathcliff’s eyes, looking for direction. Heathcliff gave Kirito a smile. “Perhaps we should.” Heathcliff agreed.  
  
When Kirito sat down, Ēkate settled into his lap, causing the boy to sigh. “Ēkate, get off!”  
  
Makoto got up and walked out of the meeting room, the sound of Rameses’ chuckling and the giggles of Silica and Asuna following her.  
  
“Adannu naguvudu, nim'ma bekkininda nīvu santōṣada mette māḍuvavaregū kāyiri,” She heard Kirito say.  
  
“Nīvu īga iṣṭapaḍuttīrā?” Rameses replied. “Haudu, haudu, nīnu oḷḷeya snēhita, Rājakumāri…” His own Sabercat had just brushed against him.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Osa-P Jewelry Store**  
  
Luna hummed a cheerful tune as she walked into the store she used to work in.  
  
“Usagi-chan!” Luna braced herself and caught her childhood friend, Naru.  
  
“It’s nice to see you, Naru-chan.” She hugged her redheaded friend.  
  
“I’ve missed you, Usagi-chan!” Naru wailed.  
  
Luna wrapped her arms around her friend and patted her hair. “I’m back now, I’m fine.” Luna soothed. “I’m just hoping that your mother will let me have my job back.”  
  
“Mama’s been waiting for you to come back to work!” Naru refuted. “Come inside.” She pulled her friend into the store.  
  
Luna laughed happily. “Oh, that reminds me, I made a bunch of friends in SAO.”  
  
“You’ll have to tell me about them after work.” Naru replied.  
  
“OK then,” Luna agreed with a smile.  
  


* * *

****

  
Nezha looked up at the sign and then down at the directions he’d been given. “Looks like this is the place.” He said.  
  
“Can’t wait to see what Luna’s workplace is like.” Lisbeth grinned. “What are we waiting for?” She started forward.  
  
“Teacher! Wait a moment!” Ducker called after her, “Shouldn’t we wait for the rest to get here?”  
  
Liz turned to him, “Ducker, it’s winter, that means it’s _really cold_ out. Not to mention that we don’t have cloaks from Ashley to keep us warm anymore. We do have to wait for her to set up shop, _remember_? I’d rather wait inside where it’s warm.”  
  
Ducker’s shoulders slumped as he followed the brown haired girl into the store.  
  
Nezha looked back at Gilgamesh, who had come with him and they both laughed at Ducker’s antics as they followed their friends into the store. They were still waiting for the others, but Nezha was sure that it would not take long for everyone else to make to arrive.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Welcome to the Osa-P Jewelry Store!” Naru called as the door opened. She looked at the group that entered, gauging whether they were likely to buy something or not. From the casual clothing and the fact that they didn’t immediately begin browsing or come to her, she doubted it. Their lack of looking shifty or nervous, though, was reassuring, though as the only girl among them approached her, she idly reached down below the counter and placed her left hand near where the alarm button was just in case.  
  
“Can I help you, miss?” She asked.  
  
“A friend of ours told us she works here.” The girl said before grinning. “The name’s Rika. Is Lu- Usagi around?”  
  
Naru blinked and carefully brought her left hand up. “Usagi?” She asked. “And who did you almost ask for?”  
  
Rika chuckled. “Usagi,” she said. “I’m just used to thinking of her, not to mention addressing her, as Luna.”  
  
“Of course Usagi-chan would go with that name, seeing as what her last name is.” The Naru said with a chuckle. “Her name is Tsukino Usagi, after all.”  
  
Rika chuckled. “Yeah, that is so like her,” she said and then looked around. “So, has she been working here long? Her unscheduled long vacation that wasn’t notwithstanding, of course.”  
  
“Since we were in High School, actually,” Naru replied. “She really didn’t like school and wanted something to fall back on if she couldn’t finish it or get into University. And a ‘long vacation that wasn’t’? An... interesting way to call being trapped in that game, if you don’t mind me saying.”  
  
Rika shrugged. “Well, better than calling it what it was,” she said. “And I can see where she got her interest in crafting jewelry now.” She walked over to a display case and looked at the wares. “She was a blacksmith specializing in crafting jewelry, you know. Necklaces, bracelets, rings; if it could be worn as jewelry, she was working on crafting it. Got pretty good at it, too.”  
  
“How good?” Naru asked.  
  
“Good enough that she could have worked out some trade contracts with some merchants there and used the money it made to buy her own place with a workshop rather than using space in mine, if she wanted,” Rika replied. “Not that I had any issues with her using space my workshop or having her stuff on display at my store.”  
  
A human shaped missile almost knocked Rika of her feet, “Liz! You came! I wasn’t expecting for it to be today~!”  
  
“Ack! Luna, air!” Rika protested.  
  
“Neh, where are the Braves? Are they here?” Usagi asked excitedly, her arms loosening in response. “What about Ducker?”  
  
“Ducker is here, after what he almost did two years ago, no one wants to leave him on his own.” Rika motioned to a corner of the shop. “Nezha, Gilgamesh and Beowulf are here too.”  
  
“Ok, so I had an idea.” Usagi said as she finally pulled away from Rika, “The Commander is allowing Agil to set up an HQ under the Dicey Cafe, right?”  
  
“That’s what I heard…” Rika agreed.  
  
“Well, we need a place where we can do our own work… So I’m actually really glad you guys came.” Usagi leaned against the counter and smiled.  
  
“Well, you are right, we do need a workshop…” Rika nodded. “You mean here?”  
  
Usagi nodded. “Yes.”  
  
Rika’s eyes narrowed, “Luna… are you _sure_ that your employer would allow that? Have you even _asked_ her yet?”  
  
Usagi blushed, “I haven’t, but I wanted to run the idea by all of you first…”  
  
“Geeze, Usagi-chan…” Naru muttered, rolling her eyes.  
  
“Naru-chan is so _mean_ …” Usagi grumbled.  
  
Rika smirked, “She _is_ right though, Luna.” The girl crossed her arms. “You _should_ have run this by your employer first.”  
  
Usagi pouted. “I wanted Osaka-san to meet you all first…” She perked up, “On another note, I have something I need to show you~!”  
  
“And what’s that, Luna?” Rika asked.  
  
“You remember the announcement that Commander Kirito made about the Menu, right?”  
  
“Of course we did, Luna!” Ducker shot back, yelping when Rika reached over and took his ear between her fingers and pulled.  
  
“Let Luna finish, Ducker.” The girl reprimanded.  
  
The boy, Ducker, pouted but turned his attention back to Usagi.  
  
Usagi smiled as she opened her Menu. “I stumbled upon how to open our Inventory.” She explained, “I’m not quite sure _how_ I did it yet, but I’m almost there.”  
  
“Are there any downsides?” Nezha asked.  
  
“Well,” Usagi chuckled, “As far as I can tell, using the Inventory uses more magic and each time I’ve opened it, I’ve had to sit down because of how tired I’ve been afterwards.” She opened her Menu, revealing that the Inventory Option was lit up as well as the Messaging Option.  
  
Rika peered at the Menu in front of her, “Well, when you figure out what it was that you did, make sure to send a memo to our Leadership so that we can all start using it.”  
  
Usagi dismissed her Menu, “Oh, you bet Liz.” She turned to her friend, “Naru-chan, where is your mom? I want her to meet my new friends.”  
  
Naru looked at her friend thoughtfully. “I think Mama is in the back. Can you keep these people under control while I go find her?”  
  
Usagi nodded. “Sure, though I don’t think you need to worry, Liz here will keep them in line. I swear, she must be taking lessons from Asuna-sama…”  
  
“Asuna is my best friend Luna.” Rika shot back, “Of _course_ she’s going to rub off on me.”  
  
They all laughed.  
  
Naru looked skeptical but nodded. “Alright then…” She agreed.  
  


* * *

****

  
Naru came back a few minutes later with her mother. “Ok, Usagi-chan, you can pitch your idea now.”  
  
“I heard that you had an idea for something, Usagi-chan?” the older, redheaded woman asked curiously.  
  
Usagi bit her lip, “Well, you know about what I’ve shown you, right?”  
  
The woman nodded. “Go on.”  
  
“Well, the Leadership of the Silver Army…” Usagi began.  
  
“Where did you get that, Luna?” Rika interrupted.  
  
“Well, we need something to call ourselves right? I just haven’t pitched the name to the Commander yet.” Usagi shrugged. “Anyway, the leadership has a place being set up for them to meet, the school will be the general meeting place… but we blacksmiths don’t have a place to work, so…” She gave Naru’s mother a hope filled look, “Would you mind if we set up here?”  
  
Naru’s mother looked thoughtful. “Give me a chance to meet all the Blacksmiths that you met first, Usagi-chan.”  
  
Usagi’s smile could have lit up the whole block for several days. “Thank you!”

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rameses sat at one end of the table, which had been cleared, the maps how hanging on the wall. He was eating faster than any of the other people sitting there. Not sloppily, but definitely faster. His Sabercat companion was eating from a plate of cat food, herself. A bit more delicately, but just as ravenously.  
  
“Wow, he must have been really hungry,” Makoto said teasingly, meeting Silica’s eyes.  
  
Silica nodded, since her mouth was full.  
  
“Well, he needs somewhere to stay,” Kirito pointed out as he put his chopsticks down. “My house doesn’t have the room, since Asuna-hime is staying with us right now.”  
  
Ēkate purred from where he was laying next to his owner, eating delicately from a plate of cat food. Kirito chuckled, stroking his cat from head to tail.  
  
“I really doubt that my mother would allow him to stay, she’s…” Asuna paused, trying to think of a nice way to describe her mother. “Cold is a good word to use.” She decided. “She doesn’t like _anything_ that has to do with what’s going on, and… given the chance, she’d separate me from my Consort.”  
  
“And we need to be together in order to recover properly.” Kirito agreed giving his fiancée a nod.  
  
Asuna nodded back to him, “It may seem as if my Kirito is a Social Climber, since he is of a lower class than myself… but he’s not.” She looked down at her half eaten plate. “But my mother, not to mention everyone else, will see him that way.”  
  
“That’s not even counting the fact that there is a language barrier between them.” Kirito grimaced.  
  
Asuna turned, “Kizmel, you and your sister know enough that you can leave if you want, right?”  
  
Kizmel nodded. “I’m not sure where Tilnel would go, but my duty is to you and your safety,” she said. “And this place more than suffices for our needs.”  
  
Asuna gave her a smile.  
  
“I’m sure my parents can find room in the house, if that’s what you want.” Kirito said thoughtfully.  
  
“Rameses should stay here.” Rei said from her seat, “And someone should stay with him, to help him get used to living here on Earth.”  
  
“It is unfortunate that we do not have any way to send him home.” Kirito frowned, one of his hands balling into a fist. “It took _seven years_ for the Cassini Probe to get to Saturn. And that’s not taking into account how long it would take for our Space Agencies to figure out how to keep a person healthy for that long, seeing as how our bodies start to degrade the longer we live in space.”  
  
“Just another reason for us to go to the Moon.” Asuna noted. “Not that we needed another one.”  
  
“We need to acquire a ship, should there be one in good enough condition,” Kirito agreed. “And on top of that, any ship we find… we are probably going to have to fix it up. It would not surprise me one bit if, if keeping that ship in working order becomes an ongoing endeavor.”  
  
“What, you mean like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars?” Asuna asked quirking an eyebrow at her fiancé.  
  
Kirito started laughing. “It would not surprise me.” he said with an amused smile. “So, getting back on topic…”  
  
“He’s staying here.” Rei repeated.  
  
“Yes, that might be best,” Kirito agreed, “But who should stay with him?”  
  
“I will,” Silica volunteered, “It will allow us time to come up with a way for me to take Pina home, with an acceptable story. Not that I think my parents will say no, but I really doubt that Pina will let me out of her sight right now. Besides, he’s going to need a translator until he learns Japanese.”  
  
Heathcliff’s eyes narrowed, “Then I will contact your parents and we will come up with an acceptable cover.” He smirked, “I still need to talk with young Rameses anyway.”  
  
“Well, I _could_ teach Silica Falconry, since I used techniques from it to train Phobos and Deimos… And maybe a few things to do with my Miko abilities. We’d have to put an Illusion over… Pina was her name?”  
  
Silica nodded, “That’s her name.”  
  
Pina looked between Silica and Rei before giving Silica a questioning chirp.  
  
“We are trying to figure out how to explain you.” Silica told the Feathered Dragon.  
  
Pina stared at Silica for a moment before turning her attention to Silica’s plate, stealing a piece of meat.  
  
Silica sighed, “You Crow…” She grumbled with a fond smile.  
  
“ _Idu ṭrik māḍide_ ,” Rameses said as he stopped eating. “ _Nānu eccaragoṇḍāga laghuvāgi ēnannādarū hiḍidirabēku, ādare nanna heccu śaktiyuta myājikna virud'dha hōrāḍalu athavā baḷasabēkāgide endu nānu nirīkṣisiralilla._ ”  
  
Kirito nodded, “I believe you wanted to talk to him, Heathcliff? Now might be best to do so.” He turned to look at his brother, “If you don’t need us, I would like to take Asuna-hime home.”  
  
Ēkate meowed loudly. It sounded like he was demanding something.  
  
Kirito sighed, “Yes, Ēkate, you are coming too…” When had his cat turned so demanding?  
  


* * *

****

  
Rameses looked up when he heard the one they called Heathcliff clear his throat. “Yes, Captain?” He wasn’t sure if this was really the man he’d once looked up to or not. The man in front of him was much younger than the old Captain had been… and some of his facial features looked… wrong.  
  
“ _Kirito-kun, taizai_.” Heathcliff ordered.  
  
“ _Shikashi, koreha mata betsu no ressun ni narudeshou ne?_ ” Kirito asked with a sigh. The older boy looked tired.  
  
“ _Hai, koreha-betsu no ressundesu,_ ” Captain Heathcliff said, “ _Ima, chūiwoharau._ ”  
  
“ _Hai, Taichou._ ” The fatigue disappeared from Kirito’s night sky eyes. Those eyes were sharp and not likely to miss much.  
  
Rameses ignored the discussion between the two in favor of trying to match this man with what he knew of Captain Heathcliff, which admittedly wasn’t as much as he would have liked. He hadn’t even met the man and only knew his appearance through vids and pics. And this man. If the Captain had been brought forward as a reincarnation, that could explain it. None of the Senshi he had met in this day and age looked quite like their previous incarnations, though the one called… Makoto? That one girl who was supposedly Princess Serenity’s reincarnation called her Rauni as well and she _looked_ more like the pics of Princess Rauni that he had seen. After all, Skuggi, his adopted sister, was a Spriggan from Alfheim and was a fan of Princess Rauni’s, so he had seen quite few of those.  
  
And that reminded him, he would have to check his Mystic Tome for any messages. Hopefully Skuggi hadn’t noticed that he was gone yet, but he doubted it. Skuggi was going to be _so_ angry with him… _And she is going to live up to her birth name with how angry she is,_ Rameses thought idly. It may have been changed to Kebechet Soulfire with her adoption, but when she got good and angry, she lived up to the meaning of her birth name. _Skuggað Ljós_ , or Shadowed Light, indeed.  
  
“Rameses, what is on your mind?” The sound of Heathcliff’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.  
  
He turned his attention to the older man. “I was just thinking that I probably should check my Mystic Tome and if I got any messages,” he said. “Not that I expect any. It has only been a few hours, but my sister is probably wondering where I am, since she would have been Awakened as well.”  
  
Heathcliff nodded thoughtfully, “You shouldn’t put it off then.”  
  
Rameses bit his lip. “Yes, sir.” He said quietly, opening his Mystic Tome. The first message, at the top of the list, was from Skuggi, surprise, surprise… and from the all caps of her letters, she had to be absolutely _furious_ …  
  
That was a big clue as to how much trouble he was in. _Skuggi is going to kill me when I get back…_ Rameses thought as he swallowed. Steeling himself, Rameses started looking for the oldest of the most recent Messages. And it took a bit of digging. _How long did it take to get here?_ He wondered idly when he spotted a message that he couldn’t bypass.  
  
It was a message from _Governor-General Selene_. He was almost afraid to open it. _Just do it, Rameses,_ he thought to himself. He selected the message and began to read.  
  
 _FM: Selene Nightfallen_  
  
 _TO: Rameses Soulfire_  
  
 _Subj: Your Unexpected Trip_  
  
 _Young Man,_  
  
 _I do hope that this message finds you well, given the uncontrolled nature of your recent teleport._  
  
His face went bright red.  
  
 _While I do not know where you ended up, as none of the teleporters within Aincrad had any security footage of you or a feathered dragon appearing on any floor. We did have a tracker implanted into the latter, so we can track her, and hopefully you, that way. Right at this moment, the signal has passed Jupiter along the network and was still moving. Given what we suspect about events, there is only one planet you could be headed to, though any of the others might be possibilities._  
  
Well… at least the Network was still working… but how long until it failed? There was more to the message.  
  
 _Wherever you land, be careful, keep your head down, learn what you can, and for Goddess’ sake, keep your eyes on that Dragon and your cat. And, if possible, establish a means of contact between them and us. Aincrad is functioning now, but we are Awakening everyone. I don’t think I need to tell you why._  
  
Rameses grimly nodded at that last line. If they were Awakening everyone, then there was probably another large scale failure of the stasis systems. They were Awakening everyone so that the systems can be taken offline and looked over as a precaution. He dreaded finding out how many died.  
  
 _On a further note, if you have ended up on Earth, try and see if you can contact some people. I don’t know if they’re their real names or not, but one Kirito and Asuna are persons of interest to me. To validate this, tell them that the Queen of Lyusula sends her regards._  
  
 _Regards,_  
  
 _Selene Nightfallen, Governor-General of Aincrad_  
  
Rameses blinked. How could the Governor-General have met…? “Um…” He turned to the teens he’d come to know as Kirito and Asuna. “The Queen of Lyusula sends her regards.”  
  
Kirito, who had been sipping at a mug of something that smelled like caf, swallowed, and promptly began coughing. “Say that again!” he demanded when he got his coughing under control.  
  
“The Queen of Lyusula sends her regards,” Rameses said. “I read something from Governor-General Nightfallen, and it said for me to tell you that.”  
  
Kirito took a deep breath, “I thought that’s what you said.” He muttered.  
  
“Send her our regards,” Asuna said gently, “And inform her that we have both Kizmel _and_ her sister Tilnel with us.” Asuna paused, “We still need to visit the Moon, but in order to get back to Aincrad, we’ll need a ship. And we don’t know if there will be any in one piece, much less working order. It is one of our goals to eventually get there. Of course, that will have to wait until we deal with the current crisis.”  
  
Rameses nodded. He wanted to go home, but he understood that they had other things to worry about at the moment. “I understand.” Besides, he’d always wanted to visit this planet. Quickly drafting a message, he read it over quickly.  
  
 _FM: Rameses Soulfire_  
  
 _TO: Selene Nightfallen_  
  
 _Governor-General,_  
  
 _I have found myself on Earth. Guardians and Princess have been reincarnated, as has Captain Heathcliff. Have made contact with Princess’ reincarnation, who happens to be named Asuna. Have passed on your regards to her and Commander Kirito. Lodging in the household of Princess Badb’s reincarnation._  
  
 _Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu are here on Earth. I killed three of them, one in close combat, two with a pulser. Wounded one more and local fighter took it out with Sword Skills. Locals call them Yūmā. Guardians and others are fighting them and are managing well enough from what I can tell._  
  
 _The dragon has apparently bonded with a local, by the name of Silica, an apparent Tamer. She named it Pina. They’re currently working out how to hide that Pina is a dragon._  
  
 _Will try to lay low and learn the local language to facilitate communication. Silica, the local who the dragon bonded with and has apparently killed eight Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu on her own is apparently going to be my translator for the time being._  
  
 _If you have any further instructions, please send them to me._  
  
 _Rameses Soulfire_  
  
He looked it over and then transmitted it. He looked at the list of messages from his sister and shook his head. Those would be read in private, as he didn’t want anyone to potentially read her venting her worried anger at him through the messages.  
  
He then looked up. “I apologize for the delay,” he said. “Now, what do we need to discuss?”

* * *

  
  
**February 24, 2025: Dicey Cafe**  
  
“Well, now that we know what our magic is, we can start training it properly.” Agil said when Eugene, Klein and Dynamm had walked in.  
  
“You know, I’m taking off time from ALO to do this.”  
  
“Couldn’t we just use ALO to make this easier?” Klein asked.  
  
“The basics?” Agil asked. “Probably, but outside of Tamashi, we’re all used to doing it the SAO way.”  
  
“So, sword skills, sword skills, and more sword skills?” Dynamm asked.  
  
“Something like that,” Agil agreed in amusement.  
  
“I prefer _Eugene_ Andrew, please call me that instead.” Eugene reminded his old friend. “You _know_ why I hate my name…”  
  
“And please, Eugene, call me Agil when we are out on Patrol.” Agil returned, smirking at his longtime friend.  
  
Eugene returned the smirk. “Sure.”  
  
“So, what should we start with?” Klein asked.  
  


* * *

****

  
Agil set a bowl half full of water in front of Dynamm. “Ok, What you need to do,” He said, “To divine, is you need to concentrate on the person or event that you want to view.”  
  
“I need to have a very clear picture of it or them, right?” Dynamm asked.  
  
“Indeed,” Agil agreed. “Allow me to demonstrate.” Agil held his hands to either side of the bowl and started to concentrate.  
  
Dynamm stayed silent as he watched the taller man try to work.


	14. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Debriefings and an encounter with Jadeite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rauni, kōhī o irete kuremasen ka = Rauni, can you please make us some coffee?
> 
> Tashika ni, watashi wa sūfungo ni modotte kimasu, = Sure, I'll be back in a few minutes.
> 
> Sugu modotte kuru. = I'll be right back.
> 
> And thought this last one should be fairly obvious:
> 
> Domo, arigato gozaimashita. = Is of course, a very polite way to say Thank you.
> 
> Graelic:
> 
> Rameses, ótan teleiósete, boreíte na skoupísete píso? = Rameses, when you are done, can you sweep out back?
> 
> Nai kyría mou, = Yes ma'am.

**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
“ _Rauni, kōhī o irete kuremasen ka_?” Asuna asked, turning to Makoto.  
  
“ _Tashika ni, watashi wa sūfungo ni modotte kimasu_ ,” Makoto replied, getting up to head back to the kitchen. “ _Sugu modotte kuru._ ”  
  
“ _Domo, arigato gozaimashita_.” Kirito chimed in.  
  
Makoto waved as she disappeared behind a wall.  
  
Kirito, Asuna and Heatcliff turned to look at Rameses.  
  
“Sir?” Rameses asked, getting nervous under Heathcliff’s eyes. He had heard about the Captain of the Royal Guard’s intense gaze from those who met him, and despite being in a vastly different body, the man’s eyes bored into him. In fact, everyone else’s descriptions paled in comparison of really being under Heathcliff’s gaze.  
  
“First, young man, relax,” Heathcliff said. “This discussion isn’t about anything you did that may be wrong, though I will want to discuss your encounter with the Youma at some point.”  
  
“Which one?” Rameses asked. “The time when they stormed Aincrad, or recently?’  
  
“Since you arrived on Earth.” Heathcliff clarified.  
  
Rameses nodded. “And outside of that?” He asked.  
  
“An exchange of information,” Heathcliff replied. “You need to know what is going on here, and we would like information on Aincrad’s status.”  
  
Rameses nodded, keeping his mouth shut as he listened. He wasn’t quite sure how much information he could give. “I will tell you all that I can, though I will likely need some kind of clearance to get everything you want to know.”  
  
“A general overview of what’s happening will do.” Heathcliff assured him. “It will be some time before we can even think of going there.”  
  
Rameses let out a breath. “That’s good,” he said. “First, outside of births, Aincrad’s population is made up of those of us who survived everything having gone to Tartarus ten thousand or so years ago.” he began. “I don’t know how many have been born or died since my last Awakening a thousand years ago, but we had a population of about seventeen and a half million last I heard.”  
  
“Wait, you’re over a thousand?” Silica asked in surprise.  
  
 _She’s still here?_ Rameses thought. _I thought she would have gone home by now and… Oh, right, the dragon._ “Technically, I’m over ten thousand, but none of us count the time we spent in stasis,” he said. “Without the time in stasis being counted, I’m fifteen.”  
  
“So you’ve been in and out of stasis then?” Asuna asked.  
  
Rameses nodded. “Yes,” he replied. “The pods weren’t rated to work constantly for even as long as we used them each time from what I’ve heard. Not without being brought offline for maintenance or replacement. And we’re lucky that _only_ ten percent have failed as of last count.” He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, _lucky_. My parents were in pods that failed. How my sister and I didn’t have our pods fail is…” He shook his head. “Anyway, that’s not going to be a concern any more. I got news that every person is being Awakened.”  
  
“Everyone?” Kirito asked. “Why?”  
  
Rameses closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “There was likely a large scale failure of the stasis pods,” he said grimly. “That some fail over time is, sadly, not unexpected. But if enough have failed, and probably recently, then Governor-General Nightfallen has a standing order to end the stasis rotation.”  
  
“How long would that give you all?” Asuna asked.  
  
Rameses shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know,” he admitted. “So long as nothing critical breaks down, they should have few decades at least.”  
  
“So time isn’t an immediate concern,” Heathcliff noted.  
  
Rameses shrugged. “As far as I know,” he said.  
  
“Even so, finding a ship will still be a priority when we finally get to the moon…” Kirito said to himself.  
  
Asuna raised an eyebrow at him, “We’ve known that for a long time.” She looked at Rameses. “Please continue.”  
  
“Right,” Rameses said with a nod. “Well, I only woke up from stasis a few hours ago. Well a few hours for me, I will have to check and see how long the trip actually was. I wasn’t paying attention to the times on the long list of messages I had and only opened up the oldest of the ones from after I woke up. Anyway, I checked my Mystic Tome for updates, found out two probes were spotted, one was even retrieved when it entered the planet’s atmosphere and lost contact with here. I was planning on checking the probe out when I left here and a certain feathered dragon flew past me to a Teleporter. I chased after it and ended up taking a little trip, considering that I stumbled over something and into the teleport.”  
  
Pina chirped innocently, nuzzling Silica.  
  
“A little trip?” Kirito asked. “ _That’s_ an understatement.”  
  
“Understatement of the century,” Asuna agreed. “He could only be talking about Cassini. And maybe New Horizons or one of the Voyager probes.  
  
“Cassini?” Rameses asked.  
  
“An unmanned probe that was sent to Saturn and actually dropped off an unmanned vehicle on Titan,” Heathcliff said. “And Asuna-kun, New Horizons didn’t do a flyby of Saturn. It used Jupiter for a gravity assist on its way to Pluto.”  
  
Asuna blushed, looking away. “I must be remembering wrong then…”  
  
“Then that just leaves the Voyager Probes.” Kirito mused. “Was it Voyager One or Two that was shot out of the system first? I don’t remember…”  
  
Rameses stared at the three of them in confusion. “What?”  
  
Asuna sighed, “We should get back on topic.” She said with a huff. “We can tell him about that the Americans accomplished another day.”  
  
Kirito nodded.  
  
Rameses briefly wondered what she meant by Americans before discarding that line of thinking. He would probably find out later. “Well then, after my... little trip,” he paused as both Silica and Asuna giggled and shot them a dry look. “Yes, it’s funny, I know. Well, after that, I ended up here on Earth and took stock of myself. A bad teleport can have…” He grimaced. “I wanted to make sure I had all of my body parts on me. Healer Hakonia or one of the other Healers could have fixed it if they were separated from me, well most of them at any rate, so long as I had them, but…” He shrugged and hoped that they didn’t ask what he meant by most.. “Anyway, the feathered dragon-”  
  
“Pina,” Silica corrected.  
  
“Right, sorry,” Rameses apologized. “Well, when Pina started flying off and I chased after her. I heard the roar of a… you call them Youma, yes?” At their nods he continued. “Well, I heard that roar, hard to forget it really, I remember running with my parents from them when… you know. I got my gear out, glad I didn’t have to take time to put it on, as it actually appeared on me this time, and headed that way. People were running from that direction, which Pina was flying to, and I decided that I would at least buy some time for everyone to escape before I broke contact and got the hell out of there as well. Didn’t expect that first one to die so easily, though.”  
  
“First one?” Asuna asked. “How many did you kill?”  
  
Rameses thought for a moment. “Well, there was the one I killed at close range, and then I got out my pulser-”  
  
“A pulser?” Asuna asked  
  
“It’s a gun,” Silica said. “He killed another two with it and blew the arm off another. The third one didn’t seem too hurt by it, though it did stagger it. He was charging it when Sailor Uranus hit it and injured him in the process.”  
  
“It killed a Youma?” Heathcliff asked. “Last I heard, firearms don’t work against them.”  
  
“I kind of doubt it was made on Earth,” Silica said with a shake of her head. “At least, not one made in this time period. It actually reminded me of the Blasters that you might find in FPS games… the sci-fi ones at least. Because it shot what looked like energy or plasma.” Then she shrugged.  
  
Heathcliff turned back to Rameses, “Perhaps you should show us this Pulser.”  
  
Rameses bit his lip. He had been taught to not take it out unless he was planning to use it or do maintenance on it. At the same time… it was _Heathcliff_ who was asking. “All right, but there are a few things I want you to do, first.”  
  
Heathcliff and the others blinked before nodding.  
  
“First, you will get behind me,” Rameses said. “I was taught to never pull a Pulser out unless I intended to use it, unless I was doing maintenance on it, or bringing it to an armory for storage or maintenance. I am about to go against that, but there is one bit of instruction that I _won’t_ go against. And that is making sure that the direction of fire is clear until I have verified that the weapon is unloaded. Because I don’t care if I unloaded the weapon before I put it back in storage, which I might have forgotten to, unless I verify it personally, _then the weapon should always be treated as if it is loaded and ready to fire_.”  
  
That was something that all four of them could agree to.  
  
“Second, once I have done so, I will turn to face you so I can teach you how to properly handle the weapon and how to verify that the weapon is unloaded and the safety has been engaged,” Rameses continued. “You will not be allowed to touch or be handed the weapon until I know that you have been taught so. And until you verify it is unloaded yourself, or you _unload it_ , you will act as if the weapon is still loaded. Actually, treat it as if it’s loaded and ready to fire at all times. If you have any questions or need clarification on something, then _ask_. With this, a question relating to safely handling it is not a stupid one. You will each then demonstrate it to me. Third, once you have the weapon in your control, _keep your finger off the trigger_ and for Goddess’ sakes, _do not point it at anyone or anything, not even yourself,_ _unless you intend to shoot._ If you do point it at someone here, I don’t care who you are. I will personally rip the weapon out of your hands and _beat you unconscious with it._ This is not up for debate. I received this same briefing and went through two months of training, where these points were constantly tested, with failing to properly observe the safety procedures meant that you either repeated the training from the start, or you outright _failed_ it. And I have seen with my own eyes what happens to someone when they fail to do so.” He grimaced. “With these, one going off unintentionally isn’t an accident, it is _negligence_. And the person who dies from that negligence might not be you. Having to clean someone’s brains off yourself because someone else was a damn idiot and failed to heed those warnings is not something I want to repeat. Am I understood?”  
  
Heathcliff nodded, likely because a memory had surfaced. Kirito, Asuna and Silica looked a bit green but also nodded.  
  
“I’m sorry, I must be getting hard of hearing,” Rameses said sharply. “I asked, _am I understood?_ ”  
  
Heathcliff smiled. “I understand.” Kirito, Asuna and Silica were quick to parrot Heathcliff's statement clearly.  
  
“ _Good._ ” Rameses said. “Now, get behind me and a little to the side. I want you to watch me as I bring it out and clear the weapon. I will be showing you afterward how to do so, but I want you to see how I did it.” He then faced a wall and waited until everyone was behind him before he brought the Pulser out. He then went through the procedures of unloading it and double checking it before he faced the others and began to talk through the entire process.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad: Skarlet Pyales**  
  
Selene gazed down at the message Rameses had sent, her eyes narrowing. She looked up when she heard the door slide open and then closed. She smiled when she saw that it was Captain-General Makan Aldursson Eldurlag, her counterpart and the leader of what remained of the military of the Silver Empire. He was a Salamander from Alfheim.  
  
“Do we know what happened to Young Rameses?” He asked, his dark red hair was held out of his dark red eyes by a black band. “Someone doing a tracked teleport to deeper in system did cross my desk. And the fact that a Spriggan by the name of Kebechet has been asking if we know anything.”  
  
“Yes, he finally sent me a reply.” Selene smirked, “He somehow made it to Earth.”  
  
“How long did that take?” The Salamander asked with some amusement. For all that teleports within Aincrad seemed instantaneous, they both knew otherwise. Teleporting anything with mass took some time. Within Aincrad, that time was measured in milliseconds, but even messages, which had no mass, were limited by the speed of light. By the time she received his reply, hours had passed since he sent it.”  
  
“It took a week, but I’m sure that Kirito and Asuna will take care of him.” Selene looked thoughtful. “The impression I got from the Vision was that they would be leading…” She shrugged.  
  
“Governor-General, please enlighten me, who are Kirito and Asuna and what will they be leading?” Makan asked.  
  
Selene blinked, “That’s right, you haven’t been informed since you were Awake already.” Her expression became much more serious. “I have it on good authority that Asuna is our Princess reborn. Kirito was her companion. So I can only postulate that he will likely be in charge of the contingent that we now have on Earth.”  
  
“Now?” Makan asked. “What do you mean by that?”  
  
Selene’s smile returned, “I mean that the Vision I reported was likely a Simulation, no doubt built by Heathcliff himself.” She watched Makan’s face, he’d been good friends with Heathcliff when they had been training here together. “Though how he would expect it to have results is beyond me. I met both Kirito and Asuna, and a few others as well. They were civilians, not soldiers.”  
  
“I’m almost tempted to see if Rameses’ Teleport can be replicated…” Makan grumbled. “Because it sounds to me like Heathcliff needs help. If all he could muster was _Civilians_ …”  
  
“I would not, General,” Selene said seriously. “It’s too risky for one thing. We will have to have faith that Heathcliff knew what he was doing here, and Rameses’ message did indicate that at least a few of the Guardians are also reincarnated and awakened into their roles.”  
  
“Even Princess Persephone?” Makan asked warily.  
  
“That, I do not know,” Selene said. “She could have been reincarnated, but her being awakened as a Guardian, let alone as the Bringer of Silence, was not mentioned by him. Even without any certainty, it is doubtful.”  
  
Makan nodded. “It was merely a thought,” he said. “We would most likely have more luck sending some materials to him if he asks than sending people there anyway. And at least if it doesn’t work, we won’t run the risk of losing anyone.”  
  
“Indeed.” Selene agreed, turning to look out the window, out at the yellow clouds of Saturn.

* * *

  
  
**March 1, 2025: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Silica listened carefully to what Rei was saying as the older woman explained how she used the Sacred Fire for divination. While the Miko wasn’t sure that she would have the gift for it, there was no harm in knowing how it was done. At the same time, while her learning to be a Miko was only a cover to explain her staying at the Shrine in case someone asked, Rei was going to train her as if she was actually interested in becoming one.  
  
“I talked with her, she’s going to teach you how to be a Miko as long as you are here,” the Princess had said when they went over the plan. Convincing her family had taken some fast talking, but showing both of her parents Pina and her translating Rameses’ speech, as well as translating her father’s threats to him if he did anything to her seemed to do the trick. The threats seemed to amuse him a little, but he took them seriously. And he did mention that he would make such threats to the first male, or female for that matter, who started trying to court his sister. “This will serve to explain why you’re staying here and we want the cover to be as tight as we can have it. So you will be learning it and may pick up some other skills in the process. Such as making and charging ofuda, which do have some effect against Youma.”  
  
“I don’t mind.” Silica smiled. “It’s just another Skill that I can use to keep my party safe. And yes, I know my going out is not going to be sanctioned until I turn fifteen this year.” And as galling as it was, she understood the reasoning behind it. Those of them who were under eighteen would be looked at twice as it was, but if they were at least fifteen, it wouldn’t raise as many red flags.  
  
“Inanna still wants to meet you.” The Princess reminded her, “Just remember to study hard Silica.”  
  
“Of course, Princess!” Silica chirped happily, giggling when Pina mimicked her.  
  
She shook the thoughts of that meeting out of her head and turned her attention back to Rei. “I’m sorry, could you explain that last bit again?”  
  
Rei nodded. “It’s about clarity of focus,” she said. “You need to clear your mind when trying to divine anything, as stray thoughts can change what you are seeing. It can range from seeing random things unrelated to what you are looking for, to what you _want_ to see, rather than what you _need_ to see. That latter one is something that both Senshi Neptune and I have had happen more than once. In many ways, clearing the mind is the hardest part, which is why I will teach you meditation.”  
  
“Clearing my mind and focusing myself…” Silica murmured. “I think I get the idea. You heard about the Three Hundred?” At Rei’s nod she continued. “I was one of them, and I became aware that something was off fairly quickly. There was an outside influence trying to change how I thought. I used a benediction I learned in SAO to keep my mind from being affected. Almost like Occlumency. It’s not the same, but...”  
  
“But it gives you somewhere to start from,” Rei finished. “I would like to know what this benediction was. If it helped you protect your mind, there’s nothing saying that it can’t help with focus. You’re right that it isn’t clearing the mind, but I can see where we can go from there. Especially if you can get to that point without having to use it.” She then looked at the entrance. “Rameses, ótan teleiósete, boreíte na skoupísete píso?”  
  
“Nai kyría mou,” came the response from just outside.  
  
Silica didn’t blink as Rei shifted languages to speak to Rameses. It wasn’t Lunarian, but apparently the language that had been spoken on Mars back then. A language that Rameses not only spoke, but was apparently his native language as well. She had asked him how many languages he knew, and he mentioned three. The Lunarian that was spoken throughout the Kingdom, his own native Graelic, and the main language used around Jupiter, Alvarin.  
  
 _And eventually Japanese will be added to the list,_ she thought. _Though I hope that they find someone, like Yuuna, who can teach him besides me._

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe; Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito studied his Kevlar vest with steel plates inside the pouches designed to hold such before pulling it over his head. It was better than no protection at all, but it just didn’t give him the right kind. “It’s better than nothing but this really isn’t any good against Youma…” He muttered as he adjusted the vest so it fit properly.  
  
Asuna watched him thoughtfully. “Until Ashley and our blacksmiths get set up, we won’t have anything better unless Aincrad can send Rameses something.” She fingered the broach her adviser Luna, ( _not_ their Luna, The Jewelry Rabbit, their _Curse Spotter_ ) had given her. “Lind was a great help getting us what we have.” She looked down at the Broach. “We should be thankful for at least this much.”  
  
“I am.” Kirito replied. “The equipment Lind managed to acquire for us is good at what it does, but that doesn’t stop it from being a poor fit for what we actually need.” He picked up the two Bokken that his Grandfather had ordered for him. He carefully strapped them to his left side. “Ready to go?”  
  
“I can be ready at any time, Kirito-kun.” Asuna teased, “Are you finished?”  
  
“Yes.” Kirito nodded with a tight smile.  
  
Asuna slipped off his bed. “Moon Prism Power, Make Up!” There was a flash of light, and when it faded, Asuna was standing there, now decked out in something quite similar to her KoB Uniform. Her shoulders were left uncovered, her arms were covering in long half gloves, a steel breastplate had appeared, covering her chest with a red upturned Crescent Moon on the right side. Her not quite miniskirt was a rather dark pink and her feet were enclosed in a pair of armored shoes.  
  
“My beautiful Cerridwen.” Kirito complimented, offering her his arm.  
  
“Thank you.” Cerridwen gave him a soft smile. “Let’s get going.” She took his arm and pulled him out of his bedroom.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
“So, who is going where tonight?” Kirito asked, standing over the maps that were spread over the table.  
  
“I was planning to meet up with one of Lind’s groups,” Mars said. “This way I can watch over Rameses and my student, since we know that she’s going to be shadowing one of them.” She looked at the Aincrad resident, who was in his own armor and quietly listening to Silica as she translated what was being said.  
  
“I think I’m going to accompany Bunbo’s team tonight,” Mercury chimed in.  
  
Cerridwen gave Mercury and Mars a nod. Then she turned to Jupiter and Venus, “And, what about you two?”  
  
Jupiter and Venus shared a glance. “I was planning to accompany Klein and his team for the night.” Jupiter spoke up.  
  
Venus smirked, “I was going to see if I could get Kuro to tag along.”  
  
In one corner, Lux blushed. “I’m fine with that!” She replied quickly.  
  
“Alright then.” Cerridwen said, turning to Pluto. “And you have Uranus and Neptune hitting warehouses tonight?”  
  
Pluto nodded, “They’ve already left.” She confirmed.  
  
“Good, that means that we don’t have to worry about another ‘Rameses Incident’, tonight at least.” Cerridwen sighed in relief.  
  
“What about you, Cerridwen?” Venus asked.  
  
“Kirito-kun will be escorting me tonight.” she replied, “Which was how it was for _most_ of SAO.”  
  
“Sounds like you want some of that back.” Venus grinned.  
  
Cerridwen looked over her shoulder at her body double and smirked. “That’s how we work best actually.” She replied. “It’s also what we prefer.”  
  
“There will be a time when we will have to fight together eventually.” Mercury pointed out.  
  
“When we go after Zombie! Beryl, I know.” Cerridwen agreed. “But until then, I would like to head out with just Kirito every once and awhile.”  
  
“We understand, you are married after all.” Pluto smiled.  
  
“In everything but Law,” Kirito smirked, “We do have to wait.”  
  
“And I don’t mind waiting for my Kirito-kun. He is well worth it.” Cerridwen agreed. “If we are done?” She asked, turning to the rest of the Senshi.  
  
Everyone started standing up. “We are.” Pluto said.  
  
“Then let’s get going.” Cerridwen met Kirito’s eyes.  
  


* * *

****

  
“It’s been quiet so far.” Kirito said, halfway through their Patrol through the areas of Setagaya and Kawagoe where Youma had been sighted previously.  
  
“Don’t jinx us by saying anything else.” Cerridwen cautioned him gently.  
  
“Boring is good when it means safe.” Kirito agreed as they passed someone. A feeling raced up and down Kirito’s spine and he turned to look back. “I have a bad feeling about this…” He said quietly so that only Cerridwen could hear him.  
  
Cerridwen turned to follow his gaze. “That person is familiar.” She agreed.  
  
Kirito cast his senses outward as he slowly brought his right hand to rest on the hilt of one of his Bokken. A lot of good two did him when he couldn’t use Dual Blades. Dual Blade Sword Skills took more magic than he could safely use at the moment. “So, do you sense anything, Cerridwen-sama?”  
  
Her eyes narrowed. “There’s something, a lot of somethings, here. It’s very dark…”  
  
Kirito very carefully and slowly moved to rest his right hand over one of the Bokken hanging on his left hip. “Then I think we’ve found the Youma…”  
  
“I think you’re right.” Cerridwen whispered, taking a step back so that she was back to back with Kirito, once more lamenting that she didn’t have a proper rapier, not even a fencing foil, on her person and had to make do with a shinai. A shinai wasn’t balanced the same way, making it a poor fit for her. She resolved, again, to see if she could find something better for her preferred method of fighting.  
  
Preferably sooner rather than later. The Shinai was flimsy, and it didn’t belong to her, so she really didn’t want to break it. Kirito’s grandfather was beyond generous in allowing her to use it, especially since she wasn’t one of his students.  
  
Youma began appearing out of the shadows. More than they had ever dealt with while in the Simulation of Aincrad. “That’s at least fifty.” Kirito muttered, grimacing. “It’s more than we have faced before…”  
  
“I don’t think it’s anything we can’t handle.” Cerridwen grunted. “You are by far the most powerful of my Soldiers. There is no one else I’d rather have at my back.” She looked down at the Shinai in her hand. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“For what?” Kirito asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.  
  
“The Shinai you’ve loaned me is likely to break tonight, with how flimsy it is in my hands…” Cerridwen sighed.  
  
“I’m sure Grandfather will understand.” Kirito shook his head. “It is not like we have much choice in our equipment just yet. We have what we have.”  
  
Cerridwen nodded sadly. Inadequate equipment was something they would have to deal with, at least until they were completely set up with the school, their HQ under the Dicey Cafe, and wherever their blacksmiths were going to set up.  
  
Kirito’s feet slid slightly farther apart and brought his Bokken to bear. His eyes narrowed as he began to concentrate. His wooden sword began to glow a dark grey moments later.  
  
Cerridwen brought her Shinai up and it too began to glow, a bright white, unlike Kirito’s Bokken.  
  
They both waited a moment before exploding into action, taking out several Youma at a time. They worked in sync, knowing instinctively where the other was at any given time. They were like a well-oiled machine.  
  
It was the result of them working closely together throughout the last two years in SAO.  
  
Once the two of them had cleared most of the Youma, Kirito looked up, and saw a uniformed man floating above them, watching. “Cerridwen, I think we’ve found Jadeite.”  
  
Cerridwen looked up, “In that case, I’ll leave the rest of the Youma to you.” She said as she crouched and jumped.  
  
Kirito smirked, his eyes narrowing as he set up to kill the rest of the Youma.  
  


* * *

****

  
Cerridwen landed on a nearby roof and glared at the General floating there. She stood tall, her eyes narrowing as she activated her Perception Skill to get a better look at their enemy.  
  
Blond hair, blue eyes, and that grey uniform with blue piping. Yep, that was indeed Jadeite. Cerridwen smirked; it looked like she was going to get the first crack at the man that had hurt her Kirito so much. She would kill him, if possible.  
  
Slowly, so as not to make a sound, Cerridwen crouched, her arm straight, holding the Shinai as if it were a rapier. The moment her borrowed Shinai began to glow, Cerridwen launched herself from her rooftop perch and flew at Jadeite.  
  
He turned with the kind of swiftness that would have surprised her before SAO. Drawing his own sword, he parried her attack and riposted with a counter that she dodged with a twist of the body while still in the air. Landing on her feet, she quickly stepped back, giving herself some distance and more time to react for any attack.  
  
“Magic within the attacks, so that was how you all managed to kill so many Youma recently,” he said calmly. “It is the only reason little toys like those practice weapons would work.”  
  
Cerridwen huffed. Now that the element of surprise was gone, it was unlikely she’d be able to do more than drive him off. “Well, you’ll just find that we are full of surprises!” She snarled, jumping again to attack him.  
  
Jadeite smirked as he again defended against Cerridwen’s attack. And this time when she jumped back, he followed her.  
  
She weaved and dodged, parrying and blocking when she couldn’t do anything else. She put all her agility and earned speed into her movement.  
  
Finally, she got enough breathing room to breathe and lunged, attacking him with a Quadruple Pain.  
  
Jadeite brought his sword up and there was a crunching sound, and the Shinai shattered to pieces.  
  
Cerridwen jumped back, not dropping the broken Shinai. Her breathing slowed when Jadeite didn’t move. He was smirking at her and began to laugh.  
  
She glared at him even as she held up the broken Shinai. Her free hand clenched into a fist and was unconsciously pulling back for a punch, though she restrained the urge to do so. As badly as she wanted to attack him, she didn’t dare do so now. Not only did he have the advantage of being properly armed, but if she tried as she was, she would be left open.  
  
Jadeite moved in to attack when another’s hand closed around the tip of his sword, stopping the attack cold. “What?”  
  
The hand was glowing a color that was even rarer than it used to be. The next thing Jadeite saw was a glowing fist as it smashed into his face. Jadeite flew backwards, crash landing into a wall.  
  
Kirito looked down at the sword he was holding and tossed it, catching the hilt. “Hmm…” He began examining it. “Well, it has enough reach,” he hummed, “It’s properly balanced too and it’s heavy enough that I’d have no complaint using it on its own.” He tested the tip, “Not as sharp as I’d like, but that’s easy enough to fix, and it’s not DNA locked like Agil’s axe seems to be.”  
  
“Well, I’m glad that you have something suitable at least…” Cerridwen pouted. “The best we can do at this point is drive him away.”  
  
“You mean he’s still in the rubble?” Kirito asked, turning his eyes back to where Jadeite had landed.  
  
Jadeite was gone.


	15. Healing Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mistress 9 is taken care of early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me, this has more dialogue in other Languages than I would really like. However, most of it is near the end of the chapter. Thus the translations are at the bottom.
> 
> It is however, mostly casting spells, this time.

**March 3, 2025; Minato: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Kirito sighed as he carefully sank into a seat around the table in the meeting room. The hand he’d used to catch his new sword was still rather sore. While catching it by the blade to stop Jadeite’s attack didn’t cut his hand, it still hit hard enough that if he hadn’t reinforced it with magic like he did, it could have easily broken it. As it was, it was a near thing.  
  
He set the sword down on the table, “Catching this thing wasn’t the best idea, but at least I now have a sword that suits me rather than using the Bokken…” he muttered.  
  
“I’m still glad that you disarmed Jadeite. I’m surprised that Jadeite didn’t make a more serious attempt to kill me.” Asuna put a hand on her fiancé’s shoulder.  
  
“He underestimated you,” Kirito said. “And he may not have realized that you’re a reincarnation, let alone who you are the reincarnation of.”  
  
“If he didn’t, that’s something, I guess,” Asuna agreed. “But the color of my magic is rather distinctive. Light Magic, like Shadow Magic, is very rare and it’s a talent that is _known_ to run in _her_ family line…”  
  
“The question then, should be if the Zombie remembers that.” Rei broke in.  
  
“Let us hope that they can’t add two plus two to get four.” Heathcliff cut in, changing the subject, “There is something else that we need to talk about, Kirito-kun.”  
  
Kirito turned to look at him. “And what’s that?”  
  
“It’s about the Soldiers we have that are still bedridden, Merida in particular.” Heathcliff replied calmly.  
  
“Merida…” Kirito’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated the name. “I know that she was a Beta Tester for SAO…” he mused. “She was the one I was closest to, after Argo and Diavel, if I’m remembering the right person.”  
  
“You are.” Heathcliff replied, “I made a special _NerveGear_ so that she could play.”  
  
“What’s wrong with my friend, B-Captain?” Kirito demanded at his brother’s tone.  
  
“Cancer.”  
  
And Kirito’s blood froze. “What kind? _Where?_ ”  
  
“Her brain.”  
  
“… _Fuck!_ ” Kirito put his face in his hands. He looked at the man from between his fingers. “Do you know how much time we have?”  
  
“A month, perhaps two.” Heathcliff’s eyes said it all.  
  
Out of the corner of his eyes, Kirito noticed Rameses and Silica with their heads together. Silica was probably translating what was said. Rameses had his Menu open but Kirito paid it no mind. “Maybe Tilnel will have an idea of what to do…”  
  
“ _Kamāṇḍar, nānu iddalli_?” Rameses asked.  
  
Kirito turned to Rameses. “Go ahead, Rameses.” He replied in a tired voice, with Silica providing a quick translation.  
  
Rameses nodded and explained that he could send a message to Healer Hakonia about the situation if Tilnel couldn’t do anything. At the very least, she may be able to tell them what they could do, even if it was to only ensure that she spent her final days without pain.  
  
That is, unless, Princess Persephone’s reincarnation has awakened her magic and is able to handle the strain of healing someone. Her gifts as the Guardian of Saturn weren’t all based on destruction and she was known as a healer whose gifts in that field were second to none.  
  
Kirito nodded thoughtfully. He really didn’t want his friend to die. “Do it then, let's find out what can be done.” Merida had been a good friend and he didn’t want to lose her. There was nothing that Technology could do, but magic might be able to do something. That was his hope.  
  
Even if Hakonia came up with nothing, there were probably things that could still be done for his friend. “Are there any others in the same kind of condition?” He asked, turning back to his brother.  
  
“Ran, and her twin sister, who didn’t get to play.” Heathcliff replied.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad: Seran Dael**  
  
She had just gotten to her office when the chime that she had long since set for them sounded, indicating that she had a message. “Of all the- what is it _this_ time?” She thought as she brought up her Mystic Tome. “If one of those idiots with more balls than brains tried to take on a Titan Scorpion the same way the Princess did again and got hurt, I am going to _heal_ his ass in a way so that he will shit fire and venom for a fucking month.” She opened her messages and looked at the newest one that came in.  
  
And a second one just turned up as well. Looking at the sender’s name, she blinked. _Tilnel, so she’s alive,_ she noted to herself. _Maybe that means that her sister is as well. Good to know, and she probably sent this in response to the first one._ She looked at the second message. _Ah, so that foolish boy who found himself lucky enough to survive the trip to Earth sent something. Well, let’s see what stupidity he got his ass stuck into this time._  
  
 _FM: Rameses Soulfire  
TO: Hakonia Fjensdottir, Tilnel Nightwalker_  
  
 _Subj: Have an interesting question for you._  
  
 _Healer Hakonia,_  
  
 _Before you think so, this isn’t me getting myself hurt by something. The Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu that seem to enjoy plaguing this place don’t have anything on those Sword Wraiths I ended up having to deal with last Awakening. Thanks for reattaching my arm by the way, and have they repaired that hole from that cave system to the eighty-fourth floor yet?_  
  
 _Never mind. Anyway, I learned that Captain Heathcliff’s reincarnation knows of some soldiers that ended up being trapped in a simulation due to one of the walking corpses with the faces of the Heavenly Generals did. Currently, she is terminally ill with a cancerous tumor infecting her brain and is not expected to last more than a month. The Healers on this world don’t have magic, so they have to rely on pure technology and their own medical knowledge, and it can’t do anything for her. Considering that you’re the best Healer on Aincrad, I wonder if there is anything you know that could possibly help._  
  
 _I included Healer Tilnel in this message so you two can communicate on this matter._  
  
 _Regards,_  
  
 _Rameses Soulfire_  
  
Hakonia read the message over a second time before nodding. A tumor, and in the brain? She would need more details than that to know if there was anything she could do. She wasn’t being arrogant when she considered herself good at the Science and Art of Healing Magic but there were limits to what she could do. She wasn’t Princess Persephone, whose gifts at healing were awe inspiring to behold.  
  
Yes, the Princess was also the Guardian of Saturn and thus the Bringer of Silence if the need should arise, but the girl had dedicated herself to being a healer and was taught by the best magisters on Alfheim for a reason.  
  
Now, to see what her former student had to say on the matter. Well, outside of probably cursing the boy for having to communicate with her before she saw what she could do on her own.  
  
 _FM: Tilnel Nightwalker  
TO: Rameses Soulfire, Hakonia Fjensdottir_  
  
 _Subj: Brain Tumor Work_  
  
 _Damn it, Rameses, at least give me some time to look her over and see if there’s anything I can do first! I didn’t get tapped to be Her Highness’ Physician for nothing!_  
  
 _Teacher,_  
  
 _I haven’t had time to look young Merida, that’s her name, over yet, but I was able to find out some details from Captain Heathcliff. Well, his reincarnation, but he was responsible for bringing this to my, the Princess’ (yes, she was reincarnated as well), and the Commander’s attention._  
  
 _It is a cancer in the brain that resulted in the tumor. So even if I can heal the tumor, this cancer has advanced enough that I am doubtful that I can eliminate the cause. On the other hand, eliminating the tumor will buy us some time and save her life for now. There are others that he brought to my attention, but Merida is the one most in danger right now._  
  
 _I will look her over and see if there is anything I can do. I will send you a message telling you what I was able to do, if anything, and what needs to be done. I have included the information that the Captain was able to provide me as well, which include what information the Doctors, that’s what they call Healers here in this era, have provided._  
  
 _At worst, I hope I can stabilize things for the girl and buy her time. There are a few other cases that I was informed of, but this one is of immediate priority._  
  
 _Your Respectful Student,_  
  
 _Royal Physician Tilnel Nightwalker_  
  
Hakonia read over what Tilnel sent and began to think it over. Cancers were difficult to fight, and her former student wasn’t going to turn down any assistance, even if it was only knowledge, should it prove helpful. True, she would see what she could do first, but the context of the message indicated that she was asking for any advice on what else she may be able to do.  
  
She looked at the bookshelf in her office and walked over to it. Looking at the titles of the many books and scrolls on it, she began to consider where she could find something that she could send to Tilnel in a message.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Mungen Academy**  
  
Persephone leaned against one wall of the hallway in Mungen Academy, resting her face in one hand. This school, which was supposed to be her home felt… off, strange. There was something in the air that set the being of destruction in the back of her head on edge. Something had her reaching for a Naginata, or Saturn’s Glaive.  
  
She hadn’t felt this way before SAO, but that had been before she’d started remembering her life as Persephone, starting with the end. Even worse, her body felt off, as if there was something in her body that did not belong. It was something that she’d only noticed because her experience in SAO had made her very sensitive to her magic and her body.  
  
The atmosphere in this school was very oppressive, she needed to get out of here. Persephone began navigating the school, heading for the exit on the first floor.  
  
“Hotaru, where are you going dear?”  
  
Persephone turned to look at the person who had called out to her; a redhead with hair of a similar shade to Beryl-chan’s and purple eyes. “Oh, Miss Knight, I’m fine.” She forced herself to smile, “I was just going for a walk.”  
  
Miss Knight smiled, “Be back in time for dinner then. We wouldn’t want your father to worry, right?”  
  
A feeling of… something shot up Persephone’s spine. “Right,” she agreed awkwardly, edging towards the door to the school’s grounds. There was no need to tell Miss Knight _exactly_ where she was going.  
  
Miss Knight turned away, “Try not to get into trouble again, will you?”  
  
Persephone stiffened as she was reminded of the most recent of the gaps in her memories. “I won’t.” She agreed, leaving the school building behind.  
  
Once Persephone was off the school campus and sure that she wouldn’t be spotted, she opened her Mystic Tome and selected Asuna’s name in her Friend List. As she began to compose the message, she shifted to using Lunarian script as an added precaution.  
  
 _FM: Persephone  
TO: Asuna_  
  
 _Subj: Memory Gaps_  
  
 _Asuna, I’ve discovered something very worrying about myself, and about the place I live, but I think my personal problem is the only thing that can be solved with anything remotely resembling speedy results._  
  
 _I have discovered that there are some very concerning gaps in my memories, and with how sensitive I am to magic… I think that something may be wrong with me. There are gaps in my memory which should not be there. I recall something that I found in SAO, even if I can’t remember the details of when and where I was at the time. Maybe I was with Yuuna?_  
  
 _Any way, the gaps, and the feeling of a presence within me at the edge of my awareness… possession may be involved._  
  
 _I do not know if this presence is malicious or not yet. And quite frankly, I really don’t care. I just want this thing, whatever it may be, gone._  
  
 _Please, tell me where to meet you and I will be there as soon as I am able._  
  
 _Persephone_  
  
Persephone sent the message, deciding that the further away she was from Mungen Academy, the better. Much as she loved her father, she could not stand being in the school’s proximity for another moment.  
  
She saw a bus heading to a nearby stop and headed to it. Looking at the line the stop was on as she got closer to it, one that would take her deeper into Tokyo, she nodded.  
  
She boarded the bus as soon as the bus stopped and looked around for a spare seat. There wasn’t one so she moved to the back and took hold of one of the hanging handles.  
  
As soon as she was situated, the bus started moving again. Persephone really didn’t care where she ended up, as long as she was as far from that school as possible.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Asuna looked down when she got the notification that she had a message waiting for her.  
  
“Something up?” Kirito asked, looking over her shoulder.  
  
“It’s from Persephone.” Asuna answered easily. “It sounds like she might be in trouble.” She said as she skimmed the message. “Badb, you are a Miko, so, have you ever had to deal with Possession cases?”  
  
“Possession?” Rei asked thoughtfully. “I have. There haven’t been many cases to deal with, but Grandfather made sure that I knew what to do.”  
  
“I’m guessing that you think Persephone should come here.” Kirito said.  
  
“Yes.” Asuna said a little too sharply as she opened her Mystic Tome to write Persephone a reply.  
  


* * *

****

  
Persephone looked up when she heard someone call her name. “Hello there.”  
  
Yuuna grinned impishly, “General Kenobi! You are a bold one.” They both giggled, leaning against each other. “So, how are you, Persephone?”  
  
“Not too bad.” Persephone gave her friend a warm smile, then she made a choice. “Yuuna, as the Loremaster, would you be able to confirm something that I’ve come to suspect?”  
  
Yuuna blinked, “I think that depends on what you need me to confirm.”  
  
Persephone started explaining her observations to her friend, including the gaps in her memory. “... Nothing from SAO is missing, but after we got out, there have been times where I seemed to lose anywhere from ten minutes to several hours, but I _know_ I was conscious for them,” she said. “And you know why Heathcliff made SAO, right?”  
  
“As a simulation so we can help the Senshi,” Yuuna said. “Yeah, I know. Not that I can do all that much. I was more focused on learning everything I could, only going out to either keep my levels up and skills sharp, not to mention doing quests to get access to more knowledge or a new book to read.” She laughed. “Nautilus didn’t know what to do with me, as I always was willing to put myself in harm’s way and he was always so afraid. He wasn’t a coward, but his fear would paralyze him in combat. But he still went out and tried to not let it happen. He was making good progress on that by the time it ended, too.”  
  
“That’s good to hear.” Persephone agreed, “Perhaps he’ll do better now that we are out of SAO. I’ve already informed Asuna.”  
  
Yuuna’s eyes narrowed, “You were right to contact Asuna-hime.” She stood straight, “Because this does sound typical of a possession case. I wonder if Boxy or maybe Senshi Mars would be able to help…”  
  
Persephone got a notification that she had a response to her message and opened the reply. “Yuuna, do we need to switch Lines to get to the Hikawa Shrine?”  
  
Yuuna checked on her phone. “No, we don’t, it’s three stops away though.”  
  
“That’s good news for us then.” Persephone sighed in relief.  
  
Hopefully, her situation would not take too long to be resolved.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Three stops later, Persephone and Yuuna disembarked from the bus at the base of the steps up to the Hikawa Shrine. “Well, we are here.” Persephone smiled.  
  
“Let’s go.” Yuuna grabbed Persephone’s hand and started to pull the other girl up the stairs.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna got up from her seat and went to the door, opening it for her friends. “Come in Yuuna, Persephone.”  
  
Yuuna came in first, “It’s nice to see you, Asuna-sama.” She chirped, giving Kirito a salute. “Commander.”  
  
“Well met, Loremaster.” Kirito grinned, sending a questioning glance at Rei, who nodded. “Feel free to sit down.”  
  
“Thank you.” Yuuna bowed to Rei before taking a seat to Kirito’s right.  
  
Persephone hugged Asuna tightly. “Asuna-hime…”  
  
Asuna sighed, “Everything will be fine, Persephone.” She said, concentrating on the feeling of her friend’s presence. “You were right, there is something wrong…”  
  
“I’ll be right back.” Rei was on her feet and out of the room a moment later. They heard her call for Silica and Rameses.  
  
Asuna watched the doorway. “Badb knows what she’s doing,” she shook her head, “Come, sit. Rauni, are there any snacks left?”  
  
“I’m glad that you hadn’t left,” Makoto said. “I would have had to throw a good deal of it away, though Silica’s pet dragon… Pina? Yeah, that’s the dragon’s name. Pina would have tried to eat the rest, and that’s when she’s not being sneaky about trying to snatch it.” She idly reached up and shooed Pina, who flew in from outside, away from the food. “Shoo, this is for Persephone. Ask her if you can have some.”  
  
“That’s not surprising.” Kirito agreed as Pina set down in front of him and allowed him to scratch behind her ears, chirping happily. “She is from Serenity’s brood, according to Rameses. Pina is very smart.”  
  
Persephone sat down and studied the snacks left before taking a cookie.  
  
Asuna settled back down on Kirito’s left. “So, you think you are being possessed?” she asked.  
  
Persephone nodded, “Yes. I have some very suspicious gaps in my memory. Yuuna has confirmed that it is a sign of possible possession to the best of her knowledge. Even if it isn’t, you know why I want to be sure.”  
  
“Check on possible worst case scenarios and rule them out if it turns up nothing,” Kirito said with a nod. “And you’re right, if you’re possessed, we want that taken care of immediately. I don’t want to know what a possessing entity would use your powers for if they awakened.”  
  
Persephone, Asuna, and Yuuna all shivered in agreement. No one wanted to think about what a malicious entity would do with The Silence.  
  
“Let’s not think about that.” Asuna said, “I like sleeping.”  
  
Rei came back into the room with Silica and Rameses following, several ofuda in hand. “Silica, would you like to help me?” Rei asked, turning her attention to her student.  
  
“Sure.” Silica said, getting up from her seat. “What do you need me to do?”  
  
“I am going to need you to distract whatever spirit might be in her.” Rei instructed, “It doesn’t really matter how you do it.”  
  
“Then…?” Silica asked, “Anything… even what I did to Princess Hathor?”  
  
“If it escalates that far, then, yes.” Rei replied. “Let’s take this to where I meditate in front of the Great Fire.”  
  


* * *

****

  
“Ok, I need several people to stand at the four corners of the room.” Rei said as they all filed into the room where the Sacred Fire burned in the center. “Preferably the four most powerful, to make sure that this spirit cannot escape us.”  
  
Kirito moved to one corner, Asuna to the one across from him. Minako moved to the corner between them and Makoto moved to the last corner. Rei turned to Rameses. “Rameses, thélo na proséxeis tin eísodo,” she ordered him.  
  
Rameses gave her a small bow in acknowledgement. “Katanóisi, Prinkípissa Badb,” he replied and then went to the entrance.  
  
Rei turned to Kirito, “If you or one of yours knows an Epithet to harden the room against escape, it would be helpful.” She then repeated what she said in a different language to Rameses.  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed as he searched his memory for something that might work.  
  
“Prostatépste aftó to domátio apó ta pnévmata kai afíste kanéna na eisélthei í na diafýgei,” Rameses chanted a few times. Rei could feel the ambient magic in the room climb as he did so and felt wards snap in place as the feeling reached a crescendo. It wasn’t flashy, but she had no doubt that if she could see the magic, the room would be lit up like Shinjuku at night. She looked at Rameses and could see the strain of casting a spell that was probably at the limit of his ability with magic in his eyes but he was steady on his feet, confirming to her that he was, if not used to this kind of strain, then experienced with it.  
  


* * *

****

  
It made its Host’s eyes narrow as it listened through their ears. There was something very wrong about this situation and it didn’t know what that was. It rose up, shoving its Host’s consciousness to one side.  
  
It needed to escape!  
  


* * *

****

  
Rei almost wasn’t ready when Persephone tried to attack her. Persephone was stopped cold when the girl came in contact with one of her Ofuda.  
  
Rei made sure to place several more. Silica tensed and a moment later had planted one on Persephone’s head. It was as if a puppet’s strings had been cut as Persephone went limp and collapsed in a heap on the floor.  
  
Whatever it was, it was certainly _not_ a Youma. It coalesced into the see through form of an older woman with demonic looking eyes.  
  
It, whatever it was, looked like an evil Persephone. It set all of them on edge.  
  
“Who or what are you?” Asuna demanded, being careful not to move from her corner.  
  
The Poltergeist, because it could not be anything else, paid Asuna no mind and tried to make for the door, towards the person who felt the weakest in the room.  
  
Rameses glared at it, even as he felt the cloying malice that was radiating off of it trying to smother him. He had a spell on the tip of his tongue, one that he knew was going to almost certainly kill him. But this _thing_ , he could feel the malice, the thirst for destruction. It felt wrong and frightened him in ways that made the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu seem positively benign in comparison. He was going to die here, and he knew it. It was only a matter of how and what would be done to him beforehand.  
  
Better to choose how. He was a Soulfire, and if he was going to die, it would be on _his_ terms. Time to teach this thing how a Soulfire died, and maybe he would be lucky enough to take it down with him.  
  
“ _Mésa apó tis flóges tis klironomiás mou, kaíno tóso foteiní óso o ílios_.” He chanted in his native Graelic as fast as he could. “ _Sto ónoma ton progónon mou, xekiníste ton daímona!_ ”  
  
Rei felt Rameses’ magic flare outward and she could see everyone else’s eyes widen as the Aincrad resident’s magic became almost like a physical force, staggering Kirito, Silica and Yuuna.  
  
“What the- that spell will _kill_ him” Kirito had to force himself to stay where he was. He turned his attention to Silica. “Silica, do you know how to share magic with someone?”  
  
Silica blinked as his meaning made itself clear. “Um, I don’t think so.”  
  
Kirito turned his attention to Yuuna, “Loremaster?”  
  
Yuuna shook her head. “I only found references to it, nothing on how to,” she admitted.  
  
That, was not good. He only found the instructions on how to by accident, on the Seventy-Fifth floor. And he was stuck in the corner! In order for it to work, the person sharing their magic had to be in physical contact with the recipient. “If I were to walk you through what needs to be done, could you do it?” He asked them both.  
  
They all felt the pressure of Rameses’ magic suddenly let up as he drew it inward. A ball of flame about the size of his head began to form in his outstretched hand. A ball of flame that was getting brighter as it shrank, going from orange, to blue, to white. “ _Kápste tis flóges tou daímona tou íliou_ ,” he said and sent the concentrated fire at the Poltergeist.  
  
It screamed as the flames hit it.  
  
Yuuna met Kirito’s eyes and she nodded.  
  
“ _Páre!_ ” Rameses commanded as he hit the spirit with another blast of sun bright flames.  
  
Kirito opened his mouth to walk Yuuna through the process, when Persephone began to glow, her eyes snapping open.  
  
“Páre!” Rameses commanded, this time with clear pain in his voice. They looked at him. His clothing was beginning to smoke and they could see his skin had turned red. Blisters were starting to form in places. And yet, he stood firm.  
  
“Páre!” Rameses commanded.  
  
The Poltergeist’s screams increased in volume.  
  
“ _Páre!_ ”  
  
Parts of Rameses’ clothing began to smolder and his skin was beginning to blacken.  
  
“ _Páre!_ ”  
  
A Glaive went through the Poltergeist. “Be Silenced!” Senshi Saturn said in a cold voice, just loud enough for the rest of the room’s occupants to hear. They all watched as the Poltergeist screeched in pain before being completely erased from existence as Rameses fell to the ground like a marionette that had its strings cut.  
  
“That was not a pleasant Awakening,” Senshi Saturn said unhappily in Lunarian as she pulled herself off the floor. “I had hoped that I would Sleep forever and my powers would never be needed.” She took several steps and knelt by Rameses’ side. “Foolish child.” She said fondly as she placed a hand over his heart. The burns on him began to heal, replacing reddened and charred skin with healthy flesh. “You did your best in trying to help me remain Asleep, and now I will help you in return.”  
  
Rameses eyes were wide in terror as he stared up at her. The Bringer of Silence was awake. _The Bringer of Silence was Awake!_  
  
Senshi Saturn gave him a friendly smile as she got back to her feet, bringing her Glaive to rest in the pocket of her shoulder. She let it go and it disappeared.  
  
Asuna and Kirito relaxed as the wards around the room faded, and Pluto appeared off to one side, perhaps a little too close to Saturn than she should have been.  
  
“Princess, Commander, I have grave news,” she said. “Sailor Saturn is… why are you two looking at me like that?”  
  
Sensing her arrival, Saturn balled her right hand into a fist and turned to face the woman. “Pluto,” she said in a flat voice.  
  
Pluto made a curious sound and turned to Saturn. Her eyes widened at the sight of the Bringer of Silence. “Oh,” She said in a faint voice. “Saturn, I would offer an explanation-” She was cut off as Sailor Saturn punched her in the face, sending her to the floor.  
  
“Persephone casts Fist! It’s Super Effective.” Kirito joked with a grin, causing Saturn to start giggling uncontrollably.  
  
“Thank you, Commander, I needed that,” Saturn said with amused tears in the corners of her eyes.  
  
“Ok, I will admit, Moira deserved that.” Pluto admitted as she pushed herself up. “I know I’ve wanted to travel back in time and do the same, or worse, to her. Like shove the Time Key up her ass.” She rubbed her jaw and winced. “Ow. That’s going to leave a mark in the morning…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little reminder for everyone: Using more magic than you can safely handle is very dangerous.
> 
> Kamāṇḍar, nānu iddalli = Commander, if I may?
> 
> Rameses, thélo na proséxeis tin eísodo, = Rameses, I want you to watch the entrance.
> 
> Katanóisi, Prinkípissa Badb = Understood, Princess Badb
> 
> Prostatépste aftó to domátio apó ta pnévmata kai afíste kanéna na eisélthei í na diafýgei = Shield this room from spirits and let none enter or escape
> 
> Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu = Youma
> 
> Mésa apó tis flóges tis klironomiás mou, kaíno tóso foteiní óso o ílios = Within the flames of my legacy, I burn as bright as the sun.
> 
> Sto ónoma ton progónon mou, xekiníste ton daímona = In the name of my ancestors, begone demon!
> 
> Kápste tis flóges tou daímona tou íliou = Burn in the flames of the sun demon.
> 
> Páre = Begone


	16. Healing Emergencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone had to investigate Mugen Academy. Ran and Merida need help.

**March 3, 2025: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rameses gave the women arrayed in front of him a nervous look. He didn’t need to be psychic to know that all of them were less than happy with him. He even understood why, too. Channeling the amount of magic like he did was... unwise to say the least, even for a Magister who had a century of experience, let alone a teen who was far from that august rank. He was, at best, of slightly above average natural talent with magic, and more likely closer to the average..  
  
He knew the dangers of channeling more magic than his body could handle, that was the first lesson anyone learned when they had their magic awakened. And if he hadn’t learned that lesson, he just had personal experience in those dangers. He didn’t know how much damage he did to himself, but it certainly hurt enough.  
  
Even Kirito looked none too happy with him from where he was, standing behind the girls. To the best of his knowledge, only Badb really knew the dangers. Her training would have had her train to the point where it was painful, if only so she would recognize when she was pushing further than was safe. The others? They might know intellectually, but they didn’t have that experience.  
  
Or at least he hoped they didn’t. Well, maybe the tiredness from using it when they were new to it, but not the using it until it hurt.  
  
They were all getting ready to rant… weren’t they? He knew that he was in trouble. Best to take his lumps now. Better these girls than his sister and Healer Hakonia anyway, because those two would kill him, resurrect him, repeat the cycle a second time, and only _then_ would they start ranting at him.  
  
“Rameses…” Asuna growled. “You are going to tell us exactly what that spell was and how much magic it takes!”  
  
Rameses did not squeak, no he did not. “Um…” How was he supposed to explain this without them killing him?  
  
“We are waiting, Rameses.” Saturn said with a sweet smile.  
  
Rameses swallowed. “It’s a spell that my family developed a long time ago,” he explained. “It basically forces our magic out in its entirety. I causes a brief growth in the mage’s magic levels beyond the level that anyone using magic should use. What I did afterward was draw in the magic and compress it more than I ever did. As you saw, it’s not entirely safe.”  
  
“With an understatement like that, you have definitely lived most of your life in Aincrad.” Saturn said drily. “Second and third degree burns over half your body, your clothes were beginning to ignite, and your body temperature was at the point where it was potentially lethal if it wasn’t reduced immediately. I’m also fairly sure that your lungs were beginning to shrivel up. You had less than a minute before you would have turned into a human torch. Even if you burned out all your magic before then, and I’m fairly sure you burned out at least a couple of your implants, those injuries would have killed you. I may not be a trained Healer in this life, but Princess Persephone _was_.”  
  
Rameses winced. He did that to himself? He could see Silica giving Badb a translation of what he said. The other girl, Yuuna, was helping the young Tamer when she stumbled with Lunarian. The older girl was far more fluent in the language, he could tell. She still had the accent of her native language, but her Lunarian was far smoother.  
  
“You are not to use that spell again.” Asuna ordered, clearly restraining herself. “Your life is more important than sacrificing yourself when there were three of us who could have handled it, especially if we worked together.” She gestured to Rauni’s reincarnation and the other one. Given her resemblance to Asuna, she was probably Inanna’s reincarnation. She had been Princess Serenity’s double, if he recalled.  
  
He heard Yuuna translate it to the local language, reminding him that he really needed to learn it. Silica wouldn’t always be around to translate for him, and Badb was the only one who knew Graelic among the reincarnations. Rauni might know Alvarin, which he was also fluent in, if only because his adopted sister was from Alfheim, but he considered Badb’s reincarnation knowing Graelic to be a lucky find on his part.  
  
Kirito put a hand on her shaking shoulder. “I think he understands that, _Hime_ ,” he said.  
  
Badb said something, which Kirito nodded at. He replied and waved in Rameses’ direction.  
  
She stalked up to him and slapped him. “You damn fool _idiot_!” She said in Graelic. “Of all the- you know magic, so you should know better than to use a spell like that! As Saturn said, you were beginning to catch _fire_. Just what were you thinking?!”  
  
Rameses knew better than to reply, Badb wasn’t looking for one. He put a hand to his stinging cheek, but said nothing. He knew what he did was reckless and the others would most likely have managed to contain and eliminate the thing eventually, but there was something about it that tripped every instinct he had. Instincts born from living most of his life in Aincrad and heading out into its dangers.  
  
Aincrad was home to millions, but it wasn’t what anyone who didn’t live there would call _safe_. The wildlife that also made it home meant that every town was defended and warded to keep them out, with the defenses becoming more potent the higher up it one went. And that… thing’s oily and toxic _presence_ , was worse than anything he had ever felt.  
  
When the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu attacked Aincrad, he had been afraid, but it was the fear of a child. This thing made him feel fear on a very primal level, as if it didn’t matter whether he ran or not, the only thing that mattered is whether it decided to play with its prey or not.  
  
“To be honest, that… that _thing_ just felt wrong on a whole different level,” he said quietly. “Not even the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu felt as wrong as it did.”  
  
Asuna opened her mouth, as if to say something, but closed it. “Explain,” she ordered.  
  
“That thing’s presence,” he began. “It was like there was a thin film of oil trying to cover my skin as it approached. But unlike regular oil, it was like a poison. I don’t know how sensitive you all are to such things, but as it approached, I felt the malice coming from it. An _intelligent malice_. The Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu, their intelligence is more animalistic. Smart enough in their own way, and certainly cunning, but not like that thing. That thing was intelligent. And that malice…” He shuddered. “I don’t have empathic abilities, not even latent ones, but I could still feel it, especially as its attention was directed at me. It was pressing on me, choking me. All I wanted to do is run away, but if I gave ground… it would- I could feel its hunger, its desire to destroy everything. I could _feel it_. It would go over me and take me. Regardless of what I did, I was going to be dead or worse. I’m from Aincrad, I go out and check up on the various biomes. I was there when it was attacked ten thousand years ago. I _know_ what fearing for my life is like. This? It was worse, _far_ worse. So, I did what I did, figuring that I could either buy time, take it with me, or simply give it a giant ‘fuck you’ before it consumed me.”  
  
It was an understandable reaction, but that didn’t change how the girls felt. Asuna knew full well that there were times when you had to hold your ground in the face of dying, but still… She looked at the others and could see their expressions change from the worried anger at someone who nearly killed himself fighting against something he shouldn’t have had to to ones of understanding. Any lectures on his recklessness were killed by the fact that he had accepted that he would die. Not possibly or probably die, _would die_. And he still stood firm.  
  
Despite his fear, he, a civilian, stood his ground and fought back. If he wasn’t one of her soldiers before, he was one of her soldiers now.  
  
“Just… don’t do that again,” Asuna said. “And Rameses, you’re not off the hook. I will have to think up something appropriate for a punishment.” She looked thoughtful for a moment and then glanced at Kirito. She let out a small giggle and then turned a sly look at Rameses. “And I think I know how I will.  
  
Kirito chuckled. At least he wasn’t her target, _this time_ …  
  
“Anyway, Persephone, the thing that was possessing you has been taken care of, idiots from Aincrad notwithstanding,” Asuna said, turning to her friend.  
  
Rameses looked ready to protest for a moment before he stopped and sheepishly conceded the point.  
  
Asuna looked at him and nodded. “Now, do you have any idea where you might have encountered it?” She asked.  
  
Saturn sighed, “I _knew_ there was something off going on at home.” She said. “And I’m afraid we may not be able to wait until after we deal with the problem at hand to deal with it.”  
  
Asuna nodded. “It’s not ideal to give whoever it is the time to consolidate their power. Which will no doubt make it harder to take care of the problem later.” She turned, “Kirito-kun?”  
  
Kirito’s eyes were thoughtful as he turned his attention to his fiancée. “No… I don’t think I would have been able to take that thing on. Maybe if I wasn’t still recovering from SAO, and had some training under my belt…” He shook his head, “Impossible to know now. But perhaps… Perhaps I should send some scouts to that school, so that we know what to prepare for.”  
  
“Someone inconspicuous.” Saturn agreed, “We don’t want them to know that we’re onto them, after all.”  
  
Kirito smirked, “Then, I’ll send Sasha and a small group of her kids with her… perhaps some from the DDA as chaperones…”  
  
“Why Sasha?” Asuna asked curiously. “And why the DDA?”  
  
“Because Sasha wants to be a teacher.” Kirito explained. “I can send her under the guise of her looking at what schools to apply to once she completes her degree. And sending in the DDA as ‘chaperones’, well, who else would you want acting as a protective detail who would make anyone or anything regret trying something with Sasha and her kids? Something’s up? They will get Sasha and her kids out of there, and they _won’t_ be nice or fair to anything that tries to stop them.”  
  
“And all our kids love Sasha to pieces, so they will want to know what schools they need to shoot for.” Asuna realised. “And point about the DDA. Schivata might be a good one to put in charge of any DDA members we send with her. Lind is best used on patrols.”  
  
“Exactly.”

* * *

  
  
**Tomoeda**  
  
Sasha paused typing when she got the Notification. “Hm…?” She tapped the Notification. “Oh, it’s from the Commander…”  
  
“Done with your homework yet?” Syaoran asked from the door to her office.  
  
“Not quite, Syaoran-kun.” Sasha replied as she read through the message. “I’ll finish it, but something’s come up that I need look into soon.”  
  
“For Kirito?” Syaoran asked.  
  
“Yes.” Sasha agreed as she went back to her homework. “Would you like to come?”  
  
Syaoran looked thoughtful for a moment, “Sure.”

* * *

  
  
**Yokohama General Hospital**  
  
Tilnel looked around when she got to the hospital that Merida, Ran, and Ran’s sister were staying in and being treated. She grabbed Merida’s chart as she made her way to the girl’s room.  
  
Coming to the right room, the Dark Elf let herself in and closed the door, hitting it with a locking spell so that she would not be interrupted. A quick scan of the room showed her the room’s occupant, sleeping.  
  
She opened her Mystic Tome and started copying down everything that was written on the chart. “I’ll have to get my hands on her file later,” Tilnel said to herself as she worked. She would need all the information they had on Merida, especially if she needed to collaborate with Healer Hakonia to cure the young soldier under Commander Kirito.  
  
From what Commander Kirito said about the girl, Tilnel really didn’t want this girl to be lost.  
  
After copying the information, she looked at the sleeping girl. If she was standing, she would be of average height. Her general figure was thin and her hair was brown. Overall, her appearance was fairly unremarkable.  
  
She wasn’t emaciated from her prolonged stay in the Simulated Aincrad, but that was as much due to Captain Heathcliff’s work to use the Nerve Gears to slowly provide basic civilian life extension treatments. How he knew the spells for the general treatments was beyond her, but it was _Heathcliff_. The man may have been more a warrior in his past life, but he had been knowledgeable in many more scholarly subjects that most soldiers wouldn’t be expected to. And in this life, he was more scholar than warrior. He may have been able to reverse-engineer the process.  
  
But the magic of longevity wouldn’t do the girl any good if that brain tumor wasn’t dealt with somehow. And soon.  
  
Her general initial scans showed that Merida was perfectly healthy, but for that tumor in her head. And because of that damned tumor, they couldn’t just stick Merida in a Medicuboid. She’d have to find out what the procedures for Brain Surgery were now. Almost certainly far more invasive than they had been in the past, not to mention far riskier. They would probably want to keep her awake too, for obvious reasons… but the thought of anyone being awake sent chills down her spin.  
  
Tilnel shook the thought out of her head. That wasn’t what she was here to do. She began one of the more dedicated scans on her brain, to see just what she did, or didn’t, have to work with. It would take a while for the results to come back; perhaps she should take a look at Ran and her sister while she waited…  
  


* * *

****

  
Ran’s head snapped up from her book when there was a knock on the door. Her sister had not yet been transferred to the Medicuboid on site, so she was sitting with the slightly younger girl.  
  
“Come in,” Ran called after a moment of thought, and her eyes widened when she saw who it was. “Who are you?” she asked in shock.  
  
“I am Tilnel Nightwalker, and I am the Healer in charge of all the SAO Survivors’ care.” said the Dark Elf.  
  
“But, Dark Elves… how are you even _here_?” Ran squeaked. Her long brown bangs falling into her grey eyes.  
  
“You’ll have to thank Captain Heathcliff for that.” Tilnel said with a smile. “I’ve come from Merida’s room, I thought, that since I was here, I’d also take the time to check on the two of you.”  
  
Ran looked down at her book sadly. “It’s HIV and we’ve had it all our lives,” she said quietly.  
  
Tilnel nodded. She had heard of the disease, one which had begun to turn up less than a century ago.  
  
“We needed a blood transfusion the day that we were born, and the blood they used either hadn’t been tested for infection, or more likely, the donor had become infected within a few months of giving the blood.” She looked out the window. “There are treatments for it. Medicines that could keep it at bay simply aren’t effective. There’s _nothing_ that can be done for us. And Yuuki is supposed to go into the Medicuboid next month.”  
  
Tilnel set up the first general scan for both girls. “Maybe there’s nothing current _technology_ can do, but we don’t know if _magic_ will have the same affect.” The woman gave the sick girl a reassuring smile.  
  
Ran shrugged. “You can try,” she said. “But I hope you’re not insulted if I doubt that it will do anything.”  
  
“Of course not, you haven’t seen me work for one.” Tilnel waved Ran’s words away. “And HIV isn’t anything that we Healers have encountered yet anyway. I’m not even sure if there _is_ anything I would be able to do for you and your sister. But that’s why I’m here. To figure that out.”  
  
Ran shrugged again, “Have at it then.”  
  
“In that case, do I have your permission to do the scans?” Tilnel asked.  
  
“Are they invasive?” Ran asked skeptically.  
  
“Not at all.” Tilnel replied with a shake of her head. “During the time of the Empire, we hardly ever needed to anything more invasive than a blood test, or giving blood today.” She said after casting the spell that would scan Ran and Yuuki’s bodies.  
  
Yuuki jolted out of her nap. “What was that?” she asked, looking around. “Nee-chan, who is this?”  
  
Ran turned and gave her sister a smile. “This is Tilnel, Captain Heathcliff sent her to see if she can do anything for Merida.” Ran turned back to Tilnel, “Tilnel, this is Yuuki, she’s my twin younger sister.”  
  
“Pleased to meet you, Yuuki.” Tilnel greeted. “I know that you didn’t get the chance to play SAO, did you get to play ALO instead?”  
  
Yuuki blinked before smiling, “Alfheim is so much fun!” the girl gushed, “My Magic stat is really high.”  
  
“What did you choose to play as?” Tilnel asked as the results from her scan of the twins came in.  
  
“I’m an Imp!” Yuuki said. “And I’ve gotten my Darkness Magic up to the six hundreds, and my Water/Healing Magic has just gotten to four hundred!”  
  
“That’s quite impressive.” Tilnel praised the girl. _And if I needed confirmation that the Captain created ALO as another means of unlocking someone’s magic, I have it now,_ she thought. Someone without unlocked magic wouldn’t have noticed the scans, and with what Yuuki implied, she had her magic unlocked for some time.  
  
The Captain was quite inventive, if he was able to unlock a person’s magic using technology. It was very impressive.  
  
If nothing else, if there was anything Tilnel and Healer Hakonia could do for her, Yuuki, would probably be an amazing Battle Medic, emphasis on battle. Tilnel really hoped that she’d be able to do something for this set of twins, as well as Merida.  
  
“Anyway,” Tilnel said as she looked over the results of the scan on the sisters, “I sincerely hope that I can help the two of you, and if I can’t, then I can and will bring in my own teacher.”  
  
Tilnel winced as she read through the results, the virus the twins had gotten was insidious. And one of the worst that she’d seen. It in and of itself wouldn’t kill them, but it weakened their immune systems enough for opportunistic infections that a healthy immune system would take care of to do the job. And they were in a hospital, which was a common vector for such infections. She didn’t think she had the proper tools to deal with it on hand either.  
  
_I can, at least, do a few things about anything they have in their systems now, as well as cleaning and sterilizing this room properly,_ she thought.  
  
At this point, healing Merida was going to be easier. At least cancer was something she’d had to treat before.  
  
She just hadn’t gotten a chance to treat anyone with Brain Cancer before she’d been tapped to serve the Princess. Tilnel wasn’t sure that she should be treating Merida on her own since this would be the first time having to deal with this specific cancer.  
  
She’d have to see, since the Scan of Merida’s brain had just finished. Tilnel’s eyes widened as she read the results.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Asuna blinked when she received a message from Tilnel. The woman must have been on her Friend List during her past life. Opening it, she skimmed through the message before reading it again.  
  
“Persephone,” she called to Saturn, “Tilnel has requested that you meet her at the hospital that is keeping Ran and Merida.”  
  
Saturn looked over at Asuna. “Merida… Yes, I’ll be there. Oh,” She had almost turned to leave before looking back at her friend. “I need a place to stay, I have no plans to return to that school until whatever is there has been taken care of.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “We’ll figure something out, but later. Merida first.”  
  
Saturn nodded, “In that case, I’ll be on my way.”  
  
“Have a safe trip, Persephone.” Asuna replied as she typed.

* * *

  
  
**Yokohama General Hospital**  
  
Persephone looked up at the building for a moment before heading inside. From Asuna’s tone, it had sounded urgent, so here she was. She searched the memories of her past life, Princess Persephone’s memories were, thankfully, mostly benign ones. Learning how to be a Healer in Alfheim among them. She hadn’t been a Master Healer back then, not even Hakonia had been one, and she was arguably the best healer in the Royal Guard, personality aside. Her memories hinted that there was a story there as well.  
  
No matter. She was here and she had the memories and experience of her past life to draw on. Add in the power she could draw on as Sailor Saturn, there wasn’t much she _couldn’t_ heal. Still, she would need to get as much information from Tilnel first. The more she knew about what she had to heal, the better.  
  
Tilnel met with Persephone at the front desk, “Oh good, you’re here, we don’t have long.”  
  
“I thought she still had a month.” Persephone said as she picked up her pace to keep up with Tilnel.  
  
“No, we have more like a week and a half.” Tilnel corrected. “The tumor is putting too much pressure on her brain, and unless we can relieve the pressure, she doesn’t have more than that. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the Healers of this era gave her a month as a best case, rather than how long she actually had.”  
  
“And knowing the regular doctors, they won’t want to do anything because of how limited technology is, and how little we understand the brain.” Persephone agreed grimly.  
  
“We need to move quickly if we are to save Merida’s life.” Tilnel said. “Do you think you remember enough to be of help?”  
  
“I hope so.” Persephone replied. “And even if I don’t now, I will as we go along.”  
  
That would be very helpful. They had work to do.  
  


* * *

****

  
Merida was sitting up, waiting for them when they got to her room. “Oh, you must be Persephone…” She said quietly.  
  
“What have they told you?” Persephone asked.  
  
“That I have a month left.” Merida said, looking away, “And that there is nothing that they can do.” Her quiet chuckle was more of a sob than a laugh. “I was looking forward to helping out…”  
  
“Merida, I am Tilnel Nightwalker. I am going to be your healer from now on.” Tilnel introduced herself.  
  
Merida blinked. “Are you a Dark Elf?” she asked incredulously.  
  
Tilnel and Persephone chuckled, “Yes, I am.” Tilnel replied.  
  
"Oh good, I thought my mind might be... wait, _what?_ " Merida stared at Tilnel for a few long moments.  
  
Persephone rolled her eyes. “Merida, we have good and bad news for you.”  
  
“Bad news first.” Merida said.  
  
“You don’t have a month, you have a week and a half.” Tilnel replied.  
  
“And _what_ could possibly be good news with bad news like that?!” Merida asked incredulously, the blood draining from her face.  
  
“We have something new to try.” Persephone said cheerfully.  
  
Merida glanced between their smiling faces. “And what is this new treatment?” She asked hesitantly.  
  
“We haven’t tried magic yet.” Tilnel told the sick girl. “And magic is a lot less invasive than technology.”  
  
“Did, did Kirito send you?” Merida asked.  
  
“Yes.” Tilnel agreed. “He doesn’t want you to die.”  
  
Merida started to smile. “He’s a good friend.” She agreed.  
  
“We don’t have much time,” Tilnel explained, “We do need your permission to get started.”  
  
“Have you done anything like this before?” Merida asked in concern.  
  
“Not on Brain Tumors no,” Tilnel shook her head, “But I do have experience with tumors and cancer in general. My teacher is also within easy reach, using our Mystic Tomes, even if she is physically on Aincrad.”  
  
Merida’s eyes widened in surprise. “Aincrad is still around?”  
  
Persephone and Tilnel both nodded.  
  
“Now,” Persephone picked up the previous topic, “I know that you will want to sleep on the idea, but seeing as how you only have a week and a half…”  
  
“I don’t need to think about it!” Merida cut in, “Do it.”  
  
The Dark Elf smiled. “Then let’s get started.” She opened her Mystic Tome and got ready to take extensive notes. “Persephone, if you would?”  
  
“Of course, Tilnel.” Persephone said as she stepped forward, carefully placing a hand on Merida’s head. It didn’t take long to find the tumor. It was huge.  
  
“What are you going to do?” Merida asked.  
  
“We are going to put you to sleep,” Persephone replied, “We’ll wake you when we are finished, and then we are going to stick you in one of the Medicuboids.”  
  
Merida nodded as Persephone cast the Sleeping Spell used for this kind of thing. Catching the now sleeping girl, Persephone laid Merida down. “How is she not already dead?” She asked, impressed. “I know that there are those who are simply too stubborn to die, I should tell you what Rameses managed to do to himself after this, but there are limits.”  
  
“By your tone… I’m sure I’m not going to be happy with him…”  
  
“Given that it took me healing his wounds to keep what he did from killing him, no, you're not,” Persephone said. “The Princess is going to handle his punishment, though. And by the tone of her chuckles, it’s going to amuse us greatly. Anyway, I asked how she’s managed to hold on this long, and by the expression on your face, you have an idea of how.”  
  
“It may have to do with the magic Captain Heathcliff invoked when he kickstarted everyone’s magic.” Tilnel replied, her fingers moving at dizzying speeds. “What did you find?”  
  
“The tumor is… one of the biggest that Persephone has ever seen, which is not a good thing, seeing as where the Goddess damned thing is located.” Persephone sighed. “It’s nothing that I can’t fix of course, but…”  
  
“It’s gotten that big?” Tilnel blinked.  
  
“Yes.” Persephone replied, “Some of the brain tissue has already begun to go necrotic. And she’s still lucid. She’s tough.”  
  
Tilnel hissed in sympathy. “Yes, that she’s still alive and has all her faculties _is_ impressive,” she said. “And you can handle this?”  
  
Persephone nodded. “I might not be _her_ , but I do have her memories and power,” she said. “I know how I can do this, though it may be a bit more brute force than what she would do.”  
  
Tilnel nodded. “Then let’s get about it,” she said.  
  
Persephone nodded and began to get to work.


	17. Dark Schools and Dangerous Kingdoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mugen Academy is as dangerous as the Dark Kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> duruddēśapūrita ātma = Malicious spirit

**March 4, 2025: Yokohama General Hospital**  
  
The next morning, Merida woke slowly, enjoying the fact that her once constant headache was gone. When she opened her eyes, she saw Persephone and Tilnel standing over her. “Good morning.”  
  
Tilnel smiled. “Good morning, Merida.”  
  
Merida yawned. “Good morning,” she said before her eyes widened. She looked at the Dark Elf and noticed a worn out Persephone beside her. “It wasn't a dream.” She said.  
  
Persephone gave a tired smile. “It wasn't,” she said. “It took a bit of work, but I was able to eliminate the tumor.”  
  
“The cancer, unfortunately, is still there,” Tilnel said. “But that can be taken care of once you recover. Healing takes it out of the patient as well as the Healer.” Her smile was wry. “Even one of Persephone’s power and caliber.” She looked at the girl at her side. “And you weren't the first one she healed last night. I am going to have _words_ with Rameses when I get back to the shrine.”  
  
“I told you that the Princess has something in mind,” Persephone said.  
  
“Persephone,” TIlnel began. “You told me that he channeled enough fire magic that he would have killed himself if he had sustained it longer. I don’t doubt that you healed the damage, but I want to check him over, myself. Don’t take this the wrong way, you have her power and can access her knowledge, but you don’t have your past life’s experience.”  
  
“I’m not offended,” Persephone said. “You might find something I missed, as I was more concerned with ensuring that he is alive.”  
  
“Well, we’ll see when I get back to the Shrine.” Tilnel shrugged, “Let’s go check on Ran and her sister.”  
  
Persephone nodded, “You’ll have to tell me how that goes.” She yawned. “After taking care of the twins, I’m going to crash.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Ran and Yuuki were sitting up and waiting when Persephone and Tilnel got to their shared room.  
  
“Good morning, Persephone.” Ran called as the door opened.  
  
“Good morning, Ran.” Persephone said a bit tiredly as she and Tilnel entered the room. “I’m going to see if I can’t temporarily boost your Immune Systems after purging them of anything that could kill you.”  
  
Ran and Yuuki shared a look before nodding. “Please?”  
  
“After this, we are going to stick the three of you in the Medicuboid, where you can continue your training in Alfheim Online.” Tilnel spoke.  
  
“That’s fine.” Ran said, with her younger sister nodding her agreement as well.  
  
Persephone took a deep breath and placed her hands on top of the twins’ heads.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad: Seran Dael Medical Center**  
  
Healer Hakonia took a moment to read the update her student Tilnel had sent her on the three cases she was working on. The tumor case was resolved adequately, and by a surprising source. Princess Persephone was reincarnated and seemed to have all of her previous life’s knowledge and abilities, if not the experience and training, as a healer. It was the case of the two twins that was problematic.  
  
Not that she was surprised. She had never seen the likes of the disease that the twins had, even if Tilnel probably had more direct knowledge of the disease Healer Hakonia had never seen something as insidious, as… devious as this HIV before. Merida's cancer was already handled, and it would have been within her abilities to deal with if neither Tilnel or Princess Persephone could have done more than buy time. But the Konno twins, not so much.  
  
She would need to do some research to see if the Mercury Institute’s libraries had anything on the disease or one that was like it. If that didn't work, then she'd be out of luck. It was a good thing that Tilnel had managed to get her hands on both of the girls’ files. She would also need for Tilnel to compile any knowledge on the disease that was available on Earth to send. Even if the Mercury Institute had any information on the disease, it would still be better to have as much information from the planet the disease was endemic as possible.  
  
And that is if neither Tilnel or Princess Persephone could cure the two of the disease. That they would be able to do _something_ was a given, but what information had already been passed to her made her doubtful that they would be able to eliminate the disease from the girls.  
  
Maybe if they had access to Aincrad’s facilities, or even better, the top of the line facilities of the Queen’s Palace as they were ten thousand years ago, something could be done. At worst, it would buy them more than enough time to, if necessary, resort to a scorched earth solution and simply getting rid of the disease and their immune systems in the process before rebuilding said immune systems.  
  
Still, it was not hopeless, even if her searches turned up nothing right now. She had enough information to give her a direction to start looking. Immunological diseases for one, though she didn’t know of any that were viral in origin off the top of her head. Then again, even if she did, she would still check what the knowledge base that was the near complete copy of the Mercury Institute’s own medical knowledge base could provide. Well, the knowledge base as of the last update, which had been a year before the Silence was most likely invoked and the Empire fell.  
  
That was a question she knew that the Governor-General would want to know the answer to the moment it became clear that Princess Persephone was reincarnated. It was also one suspicion that everyone who suspected it did not want confirmed.

* * *

  
  
**Japan: Yokohama General Hospital**  
  
Persephone was panting slowly, trying to keep her breathing calm and even when she pulled her hands away from Ran and her sister Yuuki. “I wasn’t able to eliminate the disease in its entirety,” she said. “But I was able to eliminate enough of it to reduce it and I reinforced their immune systems. They still have HIV, and are infectious, but it’s _just_ HIV, not AIDS, now. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t eliminate it without potentially destroying what’s left of your entire immune system. All I could do was buy you time for us to find a solution.”  
  
Yuuki waved it off. “It’s better than nothing,” she said. “We’re still living under a death sentence, for all that our execution from disease has been stayed, but we are used to that.”  
  
“If we can place you both in a properly sterilized environment, we can work to eliminate any and all infections you may have obtained before entering, and you won’t have to worry about that,” Tilnel said.  
  
“I think we need that for the Medicuboids anyway?” Yuuki asked. “At least, that’s what I remember the doctors saying…”  
  
Persephone hid a huge yawn with one hand, “That sounds about right…”  
  
Tilnel turned to give Persephone a _look_ , “Go find a place to take a nap before you faint from exhaustion.”  
  
Persephone waved Tilnel away, “I’m not _that_ tired yet…” She said, hiding another yawn.  
  
Tilnel gave Persephone a flat look. She placed a hand on Persephone’s shoulder and frog marched the younger girl to the nearest Nurse’s Station. “Excuse me,” the Dark Elf said to the young woman on duty.  
  
The Nurse looked up, “Yes?”  
  
“Is there a free bed that this one can use for a nap?” Tilnel asked, placing a hand on Persephone’s head.  
  
“There’s a bed in the Break Room that should be free.” The nurse replied with a smile.  
  
“Tilnel, quit it…” Persephone whined, “I told you, I’m not that tired!”  
  
“Tell me that again _after_ you’ve had that nap and something to eat.” Tilnel shot back.  
  
Persephone pouted as the Elf pushed her onto a bed in the corner of the Employee Break room. The girl was fast asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
“Papa, what are you working on?” Came a young voice from the speakers of his computer.  
  
“Just putting the finishing touches on a little side project that I was working on, Camilla.” Akihiko said as he stopped typing and sat back to review the changes he’d just made to his pet project. “How is your self diagnostic coming? Sugou wasn’t able to do anything, was he?”  
  
“He was trying to add a new kind of magic.” Camilla replied, “Gravity Magic I think he called it… Is there such a thing, Papa?”  
  
“Gravity Magic?” Akihiko asked. “Not that I know of. Then again, I don’t remember everything.”  
  
“Well, he certainly didn’t try anything with my core programming.” Camilla reported.  
  
“That is a very good thing.” Akihiko told her. “It means that he wasn’t able to actually do anything.”  
  
“And the Gravity Magic he wanted to add to my Simulation?” Camilla inquired.  
  
“Means nothing, at least until I am able to determine if such a thing is real.” Akihiko answered. “We’ll only do something with it if we are able to find proof that Gravity Magic is real and not just Sugou’s deluded musings.”  
  
“Yes Papa.” Camilla agreed.  
  
Akihiko turned to one of the other five screens he had hooked up to his computer. “Cardinal, what is your progress?”  
  
“The Simulation of Aincrad is twenty-five percent rebuilt.” His elder daughter’s voice sounded from the speakers. “Shall I bring up the current results?”  
  
“Yes please.” Akihiko replied, turning his attention to the oldest AI.  
  
“Bringing up the results.” Cardinal reported, her more childlike avatar appearing in the corner of one screen.  
  
On the central screen, the image of a partially built structure appeared. “As you can see, Father, I am working my way up the castle, fixing bugs as I come across them to your specifications.” Cardinal said, “As of this moment, I am about a third of the way finished with rebuilding the twenty-fifth floor. Using a digital copy of Uncle Kirito’s original Avatar, I am running through each floor’s environment and mobs. So far, I have not run into any problems.”  
  
“Well, that is a relief,” Akihiko sighed, sitting back in his chair.  
  
“What is a relief, Aki?” came a familiar voice from the door.  
  
Akihiko looked up, “Ah, Rinko-chan, nice to see you.”  
  
“Answer my question,” Rinko said as she came to stand next to his chair.  
  
Cardinal and Camilla both seemed to perk up when she came into view. “Hi Mama.” They both called happily.  
  
“Hello girls.” Rinko gave both AI a soft smile. She turned her attention back to her fiancé. “Well?”  
  
“Just putting the finishing touches on that project I told you about.” Aki reassured her. “It’s finished, though you can look it over yourself before I release it onto the internet.”  
  
“Later perhaps.” Rinko agreed, looking around. “Where is that huge cat of yours?”  
  
“Ēkate?” Aki asked, blinking. “Ēkate went home with Kazu.”  
  
“That cat really missed your brother, didn’t he?” Rinko asked with a chuckle.  
  
“Silly Sabercat wouldn’t let Kazu out of his sight ever since he saw him walking around.” Aki agreed with a chuckle of his own. He heard a chiming and looked at his cell phone, spotting the message icon highlighted and the indication on it that said that it was sent via the version of the Mystic Tome that those who went through SAO could use. If he could remember how he got his phone to be able to interface with th message function, he would pass it on. It was a convenient way to mask the use of magic from those who weren’t yet aware of it. “A moment, Rinko, my brother has sent me a message.”  
  
“Oh?” Rinko asked curiously. “What does Kazuto have to say?”  
  
Aki opened his Mystic Tome and read over the message, his expression darkening. “Apparently Persephone, the reincarnated Senshi of Saturn, was possessed by some kind of malicious spirit,” he said as he continued to read. “Miss Hino, the Senshi of Mars began to work on exorcising it from Persephone, and it seems as if young Silica finished the job by acting quickly when the spirit began to fight back. And with it now out of Persephone… oh, that _idiot boy_.” He said with a sigh.  
  
“The spirit got away?” Rinko asked with some concern.  
  
“Actually, no, it didn’t,” Aki said. “It seems as if Rameses, the idiot boy I mentioned, fought it when it headed straight towards him. And Kazu mentioned him using a spell to enhance his magic enough to bring my brother almost to his knees from the magical pressure and nearly killed himself holding it off long enough for Senshi Saturn to awaken and kill the thing. And Rinko, you don’t want to know the extent of that boy’s injuries before Persephone used her powers to heal him. _Idiot boy_ , he’s from Aincrad, he would have been taught well enough to know better than to do that.”  
  
“You’ll need to get his side of things first, Akihiko,” Rinko said.  
  
Aki nodded. “And I will,” he replied. “Not that it will stop me from chastising him for doing that. Even if it proved necessary, I would still do so.”  
  
“Though you would have done the same if it was necessary,” Rinko noted.  
  
“That I would,” Aki admitted. “I would also accept any chiding I received afterward. Just because something may have been necessary does not mean that it was the only way to go about it.”

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rameses idly petted Rājakumāri as he sat down on the- Silica called it a futon- that had been provided for the room that he was given to rest in since he arrived on Earth, her purrs being a soothing balm to him. He knew from the timbre of them that she was not happy with him, she could tell that he had done something dangerous and that his magic was dangerously low, but it was balanced by her reassurance that he was alive.  
  
Alive, when he didn’t expect to be after using that level of magic.  
  
The spell he used against that thing, that _duruddēśapūrita ātma_ , was a simple one. It would delay, ward off, harm, banish, or even destroy malicious spirits depending on the power that was put into it. It was the spell he used before then to enhance his magic that was supposed to be used only in the most desperate of circumstances. Circumstances where his survival was secondary to dealing with whatever the threat at hand was. His mother had made it abundantly clear that using it was almost always fatal to the user, burning them up like the fire that was their natural affinity.  
  
Such was the price for drawing on the power that family legends said came from the Sun, and channeling a level of magic that was reserved for the Guardians.  
  
And yet, if he had to face that thing again, he wouldn’t do anything differently. He hadn’t been lying about the terror he felt when it turned his attention onto him, or that he had felt its sheer malice and desire to destroy everything. He _had_ been afraid, more afraid than he had ever been. But unlike that time when Aincrad had been invaded, he had been able to do something besides run.  
  
Which didn’t change the fact that everyone was currently displeased with him. Tartarus’ sakes, _he_ was less than happy with himself. What had he been thinking? The wards would have at least slowed that thing down enough for The Princess or one of the Guardians present to take care of it, so why did he do something so stupid?  
  
 _Because you were afraid,_ a part of him answered. _Because your response to fear isn’t to run and hide anymore, but to stand and fight, no matter how stupid doing so would be. Because you remember the feeling of fear and helplessness, and don’t want to ever feel it again._  
  
And perhaps that was it. He had been told, more than once, that he tended to be reckless and that he needed to restrain that aspect of him. And when those from Aincrad are saying that you are being reckless, you are being reckless by _Aincrad’s_ standards. If he was to be honest with himself, much of that recklessness was due to his experience back then.  
  
Of course, the difficulty came from explaining that to the others. While most of them could communicate with him, language was still an issue. Yes, Silica, Kirito, the reincarnated Princess and others spoke it, but few of them had the same degree of fluency he had with what had become his second language. He did have his native Graelic and Aflheim’s Alvarin, but outside of Princess Badb’s reincarnation and possibly Princess Rauni’s, it was unlikely that anyone knew them. And outside of a few, they had to mentally translate what he said into their own language first.  
  
He was going to have to learn their language. Now, how to go about it? He would ask Healer Tilnel and The Princess’ bodyguard, Kizmel, how they learned it and managed to gain a near native level of fluency.  
  
But, it was late. Much too late to be seeking Healer Tilnel for answers, she’d chase him back to bed, and maybe even tie him up to get him to stay in bed, not that she would have any difficulty with that. Healers were scary when they were upset with you. Best not to make them angry. He could ask Tilnel and Kizmel in the morning, if they were around.  
  
 _At least it’s not Healer Hakonia,_ he thought to himself. _She would have healed me just so she could make my ears bleed as she dressed me down for what I did. And why was the Commander both pitying me and amused when she said she knew what she was going to do for my punishment?_

* * *

  
  
**March 7, 2025: Mungen Academy**  
  
Sasha’s eyes narrowed as she looked up at the school she’d been sent to investigate. “Can you feel it, Syaoran-kun, that malevolent magic in the air?”  
  
“Ah, it’s as plain as day.” He agreed, pulling out the charm he used to summon his sword. “It’s quite strong; I can see why your friend Persephone had to get away from here.” Syaoran turned to her, “Who are we waiting for?”  
  
“Shivata and one of his teams, along with a few of the children that I was looking after.” Sasha replied, turning to look back at the school.  
  
“And why is the Sword Card the only one in easy reach?” He asked. “Are you sure that’s a good idea.”  
  
“Because Sword is all I will need if we run into trouble.” Sasha said with a grin. “I’ve learned a new kind of magic, in the two years that I was trapped. And once Sword Art Online is open again, you can learn it too. Or we could always play Alfheim Online together.”  
  
“You’ll have to show me what you are talking about.” Syaoran mused as the bus came to a stop at the bus stop.  
  
“Hey, look! It’s Sasha-sensei!” called a familiar voice.  
  
Sasha turned, smiling at the little girl. “Well hello Xena, it’s been a while, how have your brothers been doing?”  
  
“We’ve been doing great!” said the older of the boys, the one she recognized as Herakles. “We’ve missed you.”  
  
“And I have missed you.” Sasha looked around, “Where is Iolaus?”  
  
“Iolaus was grounded when Mom caught him trying to use one of dad’s daggers to practice.” Herakles giggled.  
  
“I see, and the two of you haven’t been practicing without supervision, have you?” Sasha asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
“We’re not stupid, Sensei!” Xena squawked, pouting.  
  
Sasha turned her attention to the man she recognized as Shivata, “It’s nice to meet you, though I do wonder why the Commander didn’t just send Corbatz and his group to escort us…”  
  
“That is because we have a habit of playing dirty.” Shivata replied with a smirk, “If we need to evacuate, then we will pull out every dirty trick we have to get you and your kids out safely.”  
  
“Ah, then Commander Kirito wanted to make sure nothing happened to us.” Sasha nodded, “Alright.”  
  
“Looking forward to working with you, Sasha-san.” Shivata gave her a playful salute.  
  
“Please take good care of us, Sub-Leader of the Divine Dragon Alliance.” Sasha returned with a grin.  
  
“Glad to be of service.” Shivata gave her a nod.  
  
Sasha clapped her hands once, “Then, let’s get going.”  
  


* * *

****

  
As soon as the group got inside the school boundaries, every single person was hit with an almost debilitating headache.  
  
The Key in Sasha’s hand glowed, becoming as Staff. “Sword.” Sasha called through the pain.  
  
Her staff glowed, revealing a rapier when the light died down.  
  
“I think staying here is a bad idea,” Syaoran said quietly, “We won’t be able to do anything if we get in trouble.”  
  
“I can’t work through this headache…” Sasha agreed.  
  
“We should just leave then.” Shivata said, “On a range from one, being no headache at all to ten, the absolute worst migraine you’ve ever had, how would each of you rate this pain?”  
  
“Easily a seven.” Syaoran was the first to answer.  
  
“Here too, a seven.” Sasha agreed, with the kids echoing her sentiment.  
  
Shivata turned to his team. “And you all?”  
  
The four members who had been brought for the mission all exchanged looks, “Around a five to six, I think.” Yamata spoke up. “I don’t think we’ll be able to do anything, sir.”  
  
Shivata nodded, “Then let’s retreat, and see if we can’t come up with a different approach.”  
  


* * *

****

  
“Well, that was a bust.” Sasha said after they arrived at a local park.  
  
“Not completely.” Syaoran said from where he was seated at a long picnic table. “The magic in that school is quite malicious, and anyone sensitive enough will be able to feel that something is wrong.”  
  
“I still feel like I’ve failed…” Sasha sighed.  
  
“Perhaps we need to try a different approach?” Shivata suggested.  
  
“Like what?” Sasha asked.  
  
“Let me get back to you on that.”  
  
Sasha went into her backpack and pulled out the book containing the Cards. She turned her gaze towards the direction of the school and then opened the book, giving each card a speculative look in turn. She didn’t want to subject any of her old friends to that magic.  
  
But what else was there to do?

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom Headquarters**  
  
Jadeite shivered as he arrived in his Queen’s throne room. He was going to have to head to the armory, to replace the sword that had been stolen from him after making his report to Queen Beryl.  
  
He wasn’t too worried about the absence of the sword that was taken.  
  
Queen Beryl’s skin was white as paper, her nails were long and painted a blood red, they looked more like bloodstained claws than human nails. But it wasn’t anything that made Jadeite uneasy. It was a familiar, almost comforting sight now.  
  
No doubt Nephrite and Zoicite would also be there, and he had discovered something. That something wasn’t necessarily _good_ but now they knew why all the Youma were disappearing.  
  
He stopped in front of Beryl’s throne and bowed. “I have made a discovery, Queen Beryl.” He said quietly.  
  
“Speak, Jadeite.” Queen Beryl prompted.  
  
“Someone has figured out how to awaken magic in a massive amount of people.” Jadeite reported, “I came across two such people patrolling the streets. One of them managed to steal the sword I’ve been using.”  
  
“How did that happen?” Nephrite asked curiously.  
  
“This boy came to the defense of his partner, a young woman who was using a simple training blade,” Jadeite said. “Albeit with some skill, but it was a shinai, not an actual weapon. And she wasn’t using it like the weapon it was supposed to emulate.” He shook his head. “The boy managed to catch me on my blind spot and used a magically enhanced punch to drive me into a wall.”  
  
“A magically enhanced _punch_?” Zoicite smirked in amusement. “How did he manage that?”  
  
“If I knew, I’d have killed the brat!” Jadeite snarled.  
  
Queen Beryl’s eyes narrowed, “Enough! Jadeite, you are to replace your sword and head back out.”  
  
Jadeite bowed at the dismissal and left the throne room.

* * *

  
  
**Japan; Juban District; Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
“You know Persephone…” Tilnel said as they got off the bus at the Hikawa Shrine. “We know that Aincrad is still there.”  
  
Persephone turned to the Healer, “Rameses came from there, so yes,” She said.  
  
“You Guardians can teleport to your planets, can’t you?” Tilnel asked with a thoughtful smile.  
  
Persephone stopped. “I know that Princess Persephone could,” She turned to the Elf, “What about it, Healer Tilnel?”  
  
“Would you be able to visit Aincrad?” Tilnel asked just below a whisper as they walked up the stairs.  
  
Persephone looked thoughtful. “If I knew its exact location, maybe,” she said after a moment. “I would have more luck teleporting to Ṭaiṭān Kyāsal first and then to Aincrad from there. As the Senshi of Saturn, I know its precise location and can make the trip easily.”  
  
“Would it even be safe for you to go there?” Tilnel asked. “It has been ten thousand years.”  
  
“That’s the nice thing about being the Senshi of Saturn,” Persephone said with a smirk. “As long as I go transformed as one, I don’t _need_ to worry about the habitability of Titan and can start setting things up to restore the barriers and wards to make that region habitable.”  
  
“So you probably can,” Tilnel said. “That’s good, as we may need Healer Hakonia’s presence to help the Konno twins, rather than simply being able to correspond with her. I will let her know what we have done when I send her a progress report and see if she has found anything.”  
  
“Let us hope she has,” Persephone said.  
  
“And if she needs to be present to do anything with what she knows?”  
  
“Then we need to run the idea by Asuna-sama, first.” Persephone replied. “What has been done has bought them time, and we have them in the clean rooms now. Do you know if she’s here right now?”  
  
They cleared the stairs and looked onto the shrine’s grounds and paused. “I would say so,” Tilnel said drily as the two of them took in the sight. Rei was standing there in her Miko garb looking torn between being amused and flummoxed while a similarly dressed Silica was doing a bad job with restraining her giggles while Pina was simply flying about chirping like mad, as if the feathered dragon was laughing at something.  
  
Between them, was Rameses standing with a grumpy expression on his face, dressed in a red gothic lolita dress, a black petticoat just visible under it, black tights and red Mary Jane style heels on his feet. Minako was working on styling his hair while Lux doing some light makeup on his face.  
  
“So, this is what she meant by having something in mind for his punishment,” Persephone said with a giggle. “I heard that she did this to the Commander, but seeing her do it to someone… where did she find the dress, not to mention the shoes and other accessories?”  
  
“Ashley found them for me,” Asuna said from where she was standing not far from Rei and Silica, next to Kirito, who looked like he was having trouble suppressing his own laughter. “Or she simply made them, knowing her. Surprisingly, he was less upset about being forced into drag, apparently his sister did it enough times to him for him to just roll with it. What irritates him is how frilly the dress is.” She looked at them. “Did the two of you need something?” She asked, turning to them fully.  
  
Rei sighed, “I’m going to get a camera.” The others were going to be sorry that they missed Rameses’ punishment.  
  
Tilnel coughed a few times to hide her laughter as she stopped on Asuna’s other side. “Princess, I have a suggestion.”  
  
“What is that?” Asuna asked, turning to the younger Elf.  
  
“Well, If I’m remembering correctly, the Guardians can teleport to their corresponding Planet.” Tilnel explained.  
  
Asuna nodded as that statement brought forth a memory. “What about it?”  
  
“Well, we know where Aincrad is, right?” Tilnel asked with a slightly wider grin, her eyes trailing over Rameses. “And since Persephone is the Guardian of Saturn…”  
  
Asuna turned to give Persephone a skeptical look. “You think this is a good idea?” she asked. “Need I remind you that Rameses was _lucky_ to make it here in one piece?”  
  
“Ah, but Asuna-sama…” Persephone said playfully with a smile, “Rameses isn’t one of your Senshi, I am. I have enough magic that I don’t need to rely on a system that is failing and has been since The Fall.”  
  
“That may be so,” Asuna agreed. “But he is one of my soldiers. By my own authority if I need to make it so. And you haven’t convinced me that this is a good idea to try.”  
  
Persephone nodded. “And right now, this is only an idea,” she said. “And it is something that I may need to do if we need the kind of expertise that Healer Hakonia has in a more direct capacity than her simply messaging us. I will need to go to Ṭaiṭān Kyāsal as it stands. If only to see if the magics that made the Svarga Saraḷa habitable are still working and if I can bring them back online.”  
  
“And if not?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Then I might be able to determine what needs to be done,” Persephone replied. “And if we’re lucky, Aincrad might have what is needed to help there. I need to get into contact with the Governor-General, if only to know Aincrad’s status, anyway.”


	18. Punishing Uncondoned Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone takes an unauthorized trip to Aincrad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Þessi fjandinn hálfviti, öndun andaðist, limpað úlnlið, skít fyrir gáfur, typpið að hugsa, poki punda = That fucking idiotic, ass breathed, limp wristed, shit for brains, dick thinking, sack pounding
> 
> Rameses, þú fjandinn hálfviti!! Komdu þar sem ég get séð þig og… Rameses, hvað ertu með? = Rameses, you fucking idiot! Get where I can see you and... Rameses, what are you wearing?
> 
> Hvað ertu að gera hér? = What are you doing here?
> 
> avaḷu yāru = Who's this?

**Minato Ward; Juban District: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
“I can see the benefit of seeing if Persephone-chan teleport to Saturn to see if she can land on Aincrad.” Asuna deadpanned as Lux and Minako continued to play with Rameses’ hair and work on his makeup behind them. “It’s too risky and we have other things on our plates right now. I can see the benefits of seeing if Ṭaiṭān Kyāsal and the Svarga Saraḷa are habitable, but that can wait. Aincrad’s state is still in good enough shape for now. As for Ran and her sister, what you did has bought them time. And I know that you are in contact with Healer Hakonia, Tilnel. Let’s see if she can find a solution that can be communicated to us, first. And if she doesn’t, or needs to come here, I will consider it.”  
  
“It was just a thought…” Tilnel ventured. “There is only so much that Persephone and I can do for those who are bedridden without help. Persephone just does not have the training. I also don’t have the proper tools to train her. She has the memories of her past life to draw on, but they are not the same as proper training.”  
  
“Nor does she have the experience needed to teach me.” Persephone agreed, “Which is unfortunate.”  
  
“I said that I would consider it, so let’s table this for later,” Asuna said. “And Kirito-kun…”  
  
“Yes dear?” Kirito asked and then got wary as he saw something in her expression. “Dear, now we don’t need to…”  
  
“Need to what?” Asuna asked with an innocence that had no one fooled.  
  
“Oh no, I am not walking into that trap,” Kirito replied.  
  
“But Commander, what is it you were about to say?” Persephone asked innocently. “Were you about to say that you didn’t need to also be in a dress?”  
  
“That’s a splendid idea, Persephone!” Asuna exclaimed.  
  
Kirito sent Persephone a withering glare that had absolutely no effect on the girl. Then he sighed in defeat, “As long as you let me have _some_ say in what you put me in I suppose…” He surrendered.  
  
Asuna clapped happily. “Yay!” She gave Kirito a hug. “Let’s go see if we can find something then!”  
  
Kirito gave a long suffering sigh as he linked their elbows and allowed Asuna to pull him back into the shrine.  
  


* * *

****

  
After Asuna had pulled Kirito into the Shrine, Persephone turned to Tilnel. “I know that Asuna doesn’t want me to try yet… but I don’t think this is something that can, or even should, wait.”  
  
“You will do what you think is right, of course,” Tilnel agreed, “What would you like for me to say then?”  
  
“That I should be back in a few hours,” Persephone said, eying the Shrine. “But, hopefully, the Commander will be able to keep her occupied long enough for her to not miss me at all.” Persephone’s smile was devious.  
  
“I’m pretty sure that they have more restraint than that, Persephone…” Tilnel replied.  
  
“And what makes you think that I was talking about them having sex, Tilnel?” Persephone asked innocently.  
  
Tilnel’s eyes narrowed. “Just get going already…” She muttered, hiding her eyes with one hand.  
  
Persephone gave Tilnel a playful salute and disappeared.  
  


* * *

****

  
Silica got a good look at Rameses as Lux and Minako finished, taking a step back to admire their work.  
  
Rameses… looked very good in that dress. With what the two did, someone would have to look closely to even know that the ‘girl in red’ was, in fact, a boy. A well-defined boy who was no stranger to mixing it up against anything that would endanger him at that. She had walked in on him in the bath once, she knew about his muscles and scars. And he was wrapped up in a red package of cloth and lace. _I would love to unwrap_ that _\- Ah! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!_ She frantically tried to dislodge those thoughts out of her head.  
  
Lux blinked when she noticed Silica’s cheeks going red. She took a moment to look between Rameses and Silica. “Hey Minako…” Lux said in a conspiratorial voice.  
  
“Yes Lux?” Minako asked, turning to her partner. “What is it?”  
  
“Rameses looks… a bit lonely, don’t you think?” Lux asked with a smile. “What do you think about dressing Silica up to match?”  
  
Minako turned, studying Silica for a moment, and seeing the girl’s blush. “I’m thinking blues myself. Which guild was she in?”  
  
“DDA.” Lux replied. “Their colors are blue, grey and silver.”  
  
“I can work with that.” Minako said with a nod. “She’s going to look _adorable_ when we are finished…”  
  
“Hey Silica,” Lux called to the younger girl.  
  
Silica squeaked as her attention returned to the outside world. “Um, yes Lux?” She asked hesitantly.  
  
Minako swooped in and scooped the girl up, “We need your help with something, Silica.” She followed Asuna and Kirito inside, “Come on Lux! We’ve got some work to do!” She called to the younger girl.  
  
“Coming, Minako-san.” Lux called back, turning to follow the older woman.  
  
“Hey! Put me down!” Silica protested.  
  
Now that they were alone, Rameses cleared his throat nervously. “Um, Healer Tilnel?” He asked in Lunarian.  
  
“Yes Rameses?” Tilnel answered in the same language, turning her attention to the boy. “You want to ask me something?”  
  
“How, uh… How did you learn their language?” Rameses asked.  
  
Tilnel blinked and then facepalmed. “Of course we neglected that little detail,” she said with a sigh. “The Commander and the Princess wouldn’t see a problem, since they are both fluent in Lunarian and wouldn’t expect you to know Japanese, so their talking with you would always be in a language you can use. If anything, the fact that you are proof that Aincrad is still fully functional-”  
  
“Mostly functional,” Rameses corrected. “Aincrad’s systems are robust, but they were never designed to last ten thousand years without a major overhaul. And it has been around for over four thousand years before even _that_. And I’ve overheard those working on the maintenance side complaining about having to keep the place functioning, not to mention that the overview of things that I should have read right after coming out of stasis were more than likely a litany of systems that they have had to fix or improvise fixes for due to running out of spare parts. And the stasis systems are in bad enough shape that the Governor-General has ordered everyone to be taken out of stasis before any more fail, which means we had _another_ large scale failure among the pods. The last time that happened, my parents were two of those who died.”  
  
Tilnel let out a sigh. “Kizmel and I both know that. Pluto tells us that our own pods were about a week away from failing. It was lucky that Kizmel’s Quest finished before that…” She thought for a moment. “I will see if Captain Heathcliff has something he can do. I’m fairly sure that we learned the language due to Kizmel’s connection to the Simulation, so we might be able to approach it that way. At the same time, you may have to simply learn it the hard way.”  
  
Rameses nodded. “So, hope for a solution but don’t expect one,” he said. “Fair enough. And it’s not like it would be the first time for me. I learned Alvarin that way, mostly because my sister is a Spriggan. Adopted, of course. She lost her entire family when everything went to Tartarus and my parents took her in. By the time everything was sorted out, she had settled into our family and didn’t want to leave us. Not uncommon, actually, though less so with those who were born on Aincrad, but several of my friends have adoptive parents or adopted siblings who are not their races, not to mention the number of those who are half of one and half of another who have been born since.” He then took a step and almost fell on his face. “Also, how do you walk in these things?”  
  
Tilnel was broken out of her thoughts, looked at him, and did the only thing appropriate in response.  
  
She laughed.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad; Seran Dael Medical Center: Healer Hakonia’s Office**  
  
There was a loud crash, which caught Healer Hakonia and her guest’s attention. “What was that?” the young Spriggan asked quietly, fingering the hilt of a saber at her waist..  
  
“Let’s go see, shall we?” the older Undine gave the other a grin full of teeth as she idly pulled a wicked looking knife out of her storage. Together, they got up and crept towards the closet the crash had come from. “Get ready Kebechet, just in case.”  
  
“Yes ma’am.” Kebechet obeyed, one hand closing around her saber’s hilt.  
  
The door opened, and a girl fell out of the closet and onto her face. “Itai,” she groaned out.  
  
Healer Hakonia had a spell on the tip of her tongue, ready to cast as the girl sat up. What was that language she was speaking? “Who are you?” Hakonia asked instead of casting the spell.  
  
The girl blinked up at the two of them. “I… Healer Hakonia…” She swallowed, “Uh, Nice to see you?”  
  
“I will ask again, girl,” Hakonia growled out. “Who. Are. You?” She then spied something on the floor next to the girl and her face paled. She recognized that weapon. “Oh... _fuck_.”  
  
“I’m Persephone, you batty old Water Sprite!” Sailor Saturn hissed, her armor disappearing leaving the girl in a strange looking uniform. “And now we know that I can come here, nice!” She picked herself up off the floor. She opened her Mystic Tome and began typing something. “Asuna-sama is going to kill me for this, but it will be so worth it!” She giggled to herself.  
  
Healer Hakonia blinked. Had Princess Persephone gone crazy?  
  
“What the… who the hell are you?” Kebechet asked.  
  
“Kebechet!” Hakonia hissed out. “That’s Princess Persephone, or at least her reincarnation if what your brother sent is true. And look at the weapon on the floor. That’s the _Silence Glaive_!” And the fact that they were all still alive was good. Looks like it did require her to be using her powers in a certain way to trigger _that_ function. Which was nice. It meant that things weren’t breaking. Like the hospital, Aincrad, or Saturn for that matter.  
  
Little things like those breaking would have made for a difficult day.  
  
Kebechet blinked up at the older Undine. “And how would I know what _that_ looks like?” The younger Faery wanted to know.  
  
Persephone knelt down and picked up the Silence Glaive. She gave it a flourish before bringing it to rest in the pocket of her shoulder, “Sorry, I know I should not have left it on the floor.” It disappeared a moment later. “Forgive me for making a mess of your office.” Then she brought her hand to her face when she realized what she’d done, “Commander… you are _such_ a bad influence…” She muttered to herself.  
  
When had she picked up that habit of his? Flourishing a Naginata was one thing, but this was the _Silence Glaive_ she’d done that with! The Silence Glaive wasn’t to be played with… If the Silence Glaive fell the wrong way… she could end up destroying Aincrad _on accident_!  
  
“Ok… that wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done…” Persephone laughed nervously. “Oops.”  
  
Healer Hakonia and Kebechet were staring at her as if she’d just grown several heads.  
  
“Um, has she gone crazy?” Kebechet asked.  
  
Persephone shot the Spriggan an irritated look. “Define ‘crazy’,” she said in a flat tone. “I have a reincarnated Princess Serenity as a friend, and she can pull off the same insane stunts in this life that she did in her previous one, albeit less often. Her chosen consort fought and defeated a simulated version of the seventy-fourth floor’s guardian on his own. A simulated version that was maybe, _maybe_ , slightly weaker than the real thing. I have also had to patch up one idiot who managed to nearly kill himself with his own magic while he was holding off the same thing that forced me to Awaken. As it was, he almost burnt out his magic with that spell and _did_ burn out several of his implants, not to mention the burns his magic caused.”  
  
“This idiot’s name wouldn’t happen to be Rameses, would it?” Kebechet asked, already knowing the answer. “And the spell wouldn’t have been one that boosted his magic, was it?”  
  
Persephone nodded.  
  
“Þessi fjandinn hálfviti, öndun andaðist, limpað úlnlið, skít fyrir gáfur, typpið að hugsa, poki punda...” Kebechet started cursing.  
  
“Quite,” Persephone said. “Not that I understand what you’re saying, but I can get the gist of it. It seems that the finer points of Alvarin didn’t come with the reincarnation, not that swearing isn’t universal.”  
  
“But you recognize the language?” Hakonia asked.  
  
Persephone nodded. “I did spend a lot of time here in my previous life,” she said drily. “I think I would recognize the main languages of the Empire, even if I can’t speak or understand them. I know that Badb’s reincarnation can understand and speak Graelic, so Rauni’s reincarnation might be able to understand and speak Alvarin.  
  
A message appeared before Persephone’s face, Tilnel seemed to be demanding an update and urging her to return to Earth.  
  
Persephone looked at Hakonia and Kebechet over the message for a moment. She really should do what Tilnel asked her to, but since she was here and with Healer Hakonia, she might as well find something out. Oh, and also extending an offer to Rameses’ sister. “How would the two of you like to come visit Earth for a bit?” She asked. She should probably stop by the Armory and get a few things for the Commander and Princess, now that she thought about it. If only to find something to bribe them with, which _might_ forestall punishment.  
  
Kebechet stopped her cursing and looked at Persephone. “Oh, just _try_ and stop me,” she growled. “I have a few things I would like to discuss with my brother. In person. You know. Little things. Like why he hasn’t sent me a message directly. Why he endangered himself, _again._ They still haven’t fixed the hole he made between the eighty-fourth and eighty-fifth floors when he got cornered by those Sword Wraiths. And how he figured using _that_ spell was a good idea.” She shook her head. “Why didn’t he decide on something safer to do? You know, like go outside of Aincrad without an EVA suit?”  
  
Persephone turned curious eyes to Healer Hakonia.  
  
“Rameses seems to have a remarkable ability to find trouble without even looking for it,” Hakonia said. “He also has a remarkable ability to survive his encounters with it, or at least for long enough for someone to patch him up. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was born here because of that.”  
  
“So, you are coming I take it then?” Persephone asked.  
  
“As tempting as it would be, I can’t” Hakonia declined. “There is too much to do here that requires my presence right now. By the way, what is the situation with those twins that Tilnel is looking after?”  
  
“I managed to reduce the level of HIV infection, eliminated several opportunistic infections, and shore up their immune systems,” Persephone said. “I can’t cure the disease due to how advanced it is, not without eliminating their immune systems in the process. And if I do that, I won’t have anything to build off of to restore it. I have my memories and knowledge from my past life, but I don’t have the same level of skill I did back then. We are looking to place them into a sterile environment for the time being, and we will scan for and eliminate any new infections they may have picked up as soon as they are in one.”  
  
Hakonia nodded. “I see,” she said. “I haven’t found anything from my own sources on any disease like it, but I will continue searching. If it gets down to it, we may have to go as far as to eliminate their immune systems and rebuild them from there. I know of a few ways we may be able to do that, but let’s save that possibility for when we are out of options.”  
  
Persephone nodded in agreement. “Understood.”  
  
“When do we leave?” Kebechet asked impatiently.  
  
“I need to make a few stops first,” Persephone said. “At the very least, I need to see if I can get some equipment for the Commander and the Princess. Both of them are going to be a little cross with me for coming here when they told me to wait.” She chuckled. “So I need to bring something back as a peace offering and take the ass chewing I will be getting from both of them.”  
  
“What do you need?” Hakonia asked.  
  
“A rapier and at least one Hand and a Half sword.” Persephone replied. “Though I’m not sure if the Commander is strong enough to handle the Elucidator yet.”  
  
“Elucidator?” Kebechet asked.  
  
“An experimental blade that never made it out of testing for deployment to the Royal Guard,” Hakonia said. “Veigur is still trying to refine the design of it to reduce the magic requirement and the fact that it’s draw on a person’s magic was far higher than planned for. Well, when he can find the time. Keeping everything in mostly working order has a much higher priority, as is trying to see if we can improvise ways to fix something that may soon break _before_ we need to.”  
  
“The Elucidator was the Commander’s go to blade in the Simulation.” Persephone said. “Maybe Liz can duplicate the one he had there. She was a blacksmith in the Simulation and she did manage to develop Mystic Forging techniques on her own without training.” Persephone looked thoughtful, “What about the Dark Repulsor?”  
  
“This Blacksmith did _what_?” Hakonia and Kebechet asked in shock.  
  
“She developed her skills in smithing to the point where she was capable of Mystic Forging,” Persephone replied. “Not that she was able to do much with it, given that the Simulation ended shortly after, but she was starting to work out how it worked.”  
  
Hakonia blinked. “Is she a Leprechaun who managed to find herself on Earth?” She asked.  
  
Persephone shook her head, “Nope, as far as we can tell, she’s a full blooded human.”  
  
“Oh, Veigur is going to shit when he hears about this,” Hakonia said with a chuckle. “And he’s going to be pissed that he can’t go there and teach her. A human girl? Who has worked out how to do Mystic Forging on her own? The girl’s a savant.”  
  
Persephone giggled, “Maybe if I get permission I can come back and give him a lift, along with taking what she’d need to get back in practice…”  
  
Hakonia laughed. “And then Makan will be pissed, breathing fire and shitting brimstone,” she chortled. “And while annoying him would amuse me greatly, our good Captain-General needs Veigur where he is.”  
  
Persephone shrugged. “Then maybe I can drop her off here. But I do know that we need to be face-to-face to add someone to our list of contacts.”  
  
“How much time do you have?” Hakonia asked.  
  
“Well, given that Tilnel has just sent me another message, probably telling me to get back, not long,” Persephone said. “So, that will have to wait. Now, do you think you can smooth things out for when I get to the armory? It’s still near the plaza where the Teleport Gate is, right?”  
  
“It should be.” Hakonia agreed. “It’s stocked with almost anything this Commander could want.”  
  
“Good, I’ll be back soon then.” Persephone grinned, turning to the Spriggan. “You had better go pack what you want to bring and meet me back here. Because I’m leaving as soon as I get back.”  
  
Kebechet nodded, Popping her wings. “I’ll be right back then.” She flew off.  
  
Persephone manifested her armor and weapon, bid Hakonia a temporary farewell and headed for the Teleport Gate.  
  
“Wait, wasn’t there a notice stating that Makan was going to be inspecting the armory?” Hakonia mused. “Ah, no matter. If he’s there, he will meet her. If not, he will find out that she is back. I wonder if he will shit himself like he did when he met her mother when we were in training?”  
  


* * *

****

  
Persephone couldn’t help looking around in wonder as she walked through Seran Dael for the first time in ten thousand years. It was as beautiful as her memories promised. It was just too bad she had no time to do any actual sightseeing today.  
  
Persephone smiled widely when she came to the Armory. “Here we are, the Armory.” She made her way inside, immediately spotting the Salamander taking inventory. “Captain-General Eldurlag, nice to see you.” She said as she came up behind the man.  
  
The Salamander almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice, and turned to face her.  
  
Persephone gave him the most innocent smile she could manage.  
  
Makan looked at her and then noticed the Silence Glaive in her hand, causing his face to pale. “Ah, Princess Persephone… you have awakened?”  
  
Persephone nodded, the smile still on her face. “Yes, I started remembering things more than a year ago. Not fun, let me tell you. Why, the Princess and her consort had to talk me out of doing something rather rash and permanent to myself when those memories really began to come back. Not that she wasn’t understanding, given how she was less than happy to have someone else’s memories taking up space in her mind. But we managed to deal with it eventually.”  
  
“Was there anything you needed from the Armory?” Makan asked hesitantly.  
  
“Well, I came here to see if my abilities to teleport here were still intact,” Persephone replied. “And after the Princess told me to wait, but our time in that simulation, you do know about that, right?”  
  
Makan nodded. “Governor-General Nightfallen did mention it,” he said cautiously. “Apparently she was somewhat present in it, though not to the same extent that Lieutenant Nightwalker was.”  
  
“I wasn’t with them for that quest,” Persephone replied. “But Kizmel did indeed join us after a certain point, I’d have sworn that she was adhered to the Commander’s sides after the Moonlit Black Cats Incident…”  
  
Makan blinked. “Oh?”  
  
Persephone shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t have the time,” she said. “Anyway, I came here to at least pick up some weapons and armor for the Commander and the Princess. Well armor for the Commander, the Princess has her own Guardian power to form armor for her. She does need a proper weapon, though. Anything more than that would be a bonus, but I can only carry so much as we haven’t quite figured out how to access the storage for our variant of the Mystic Tome yet.”  
  
“Variant?” Makan muttered to himself.  
  
“Captain Heathcliff couldn’t fully duplicate it in the Simulation, so we all got into the habit of using the Simulated version he did create,” Persephone explained. “I know how the Mystic Tome is supposed to work, but I have direct experience with the variant. Our current life experiences trump past life knowledge, though the latter has come in handy at times.”  
  
“What kind of weapons do the Commander and Princess favor?” Makan asked. “We might as well get their gear sorted out first. And if the Princess is anything like she was back then, she isn’t going to want to sit things out unless someone sits on her.”  
  
Persephone nodded at his wisdom. “The Commander preferes the Hand and a Half swords.” Persephone replied. “He also has experience with Dual Blades, so if I can get two blades of equal quality, that would be best. The Princess prefers Rapiers in this life.”  
  
“She picked it before she remembered?”  
  
Persephone nodded.  
  
“Fits with what we know of the few documented and proven cases of reincarnation,” Makan said. “Princess Serenity preferred a spear back then, but she did learn a bit on how to use many weapon types. Heathcliff was insistent on that.”  
  
“That sounds like the Captain…” Persephone said after a moment of thought. “And his reincarnation’s brother is also like that, though maybe not as generalized. Mostly weapons with similar functionality and handling characteristics, I think.”  
  
Makan nodded, turning back to the wall. “Sticking to what he knows and not having to unlearn as much,” he said. “In other words, generalizing, but not to the point where he was too generalized. Heathcliff was one of those few who could have become a true Arms Master if he wanted to, but most can’t generalize that much without falling into the trap of not being particularly strong in any one area.”  
  
Persephone nodded. “The Commander helped several of us find either alternate weapons or pointed us in the direction of what would work best,” she said. “Including one who was best suited for unarmed combat. Given that he is a priest for one of Earth’s modern religions outside the Simulation, among other things that are not my place to talk about, it fit him.”  
  
Makan nodded again. “I see,” he said as his eyes traveled to the Hand and a Half swords that were on various racks. Walking over, he picked two up. “These two should work, I think,” he said as he handed over for Persephone to inspect.  
  
Persephone dismissed the Glaive and took one. Unsheathing it with a smoothly practiced motion, she inspected it. “An Anneal Blade,” she said, recognizing the weapon. “These actually existed in the Simulation and were good weapons early on, given its nature and increasing dangers. But he would be familiar with the handling of one.” She sheathed it and handed it back to Makan. “We will need to find armor for him. Nothing too heavy. He preferred mobility over being able to tank a hit.”  
  
Makan nodded, “Of course. This way.”  
  
The two would spend the next several minutes looking over armor before Persephone pointed to one and said that it would do. The rapiers were easier for her to pick one out, as she saw one that would suit Asuna perfectly even before Makan started looking at them.  
  
“That Wind Fleuret will do just fine,” Persephone said, pointing to the requested sword. “The Princess, was quite fond of that weapon.”  
  
“She was?” Makan asked as he retrieved the Rapier in question.  
  
Persephone smiled, “It was a gift from the Commander.”  
  
Makan chuckled. “I see,” he said. _Most youths court by buying little gifts or giving flowers,_ he thought with some amusement. _But it seems that Princess Serenity’s reincarnation was courted by a young man gifting her a weapon. Ah, young love._  
  
“Over the first Winter Solstice we spent in the Simulation, he gave her cooking implements.” Persephone told him. “She’s rather fond of cooking.”  
  
“The Princess likes to _Cook_?” Makan shook his head, that was above his pay grade. “Was there anything else you needed, Princess Persephone?” He asked.  
  
“As much as I would like to bring more, I can’t use the storage function of our variant of the Mystic Tome, we haven’t worked out how to make that function work outside the Simulation quite yet. Knowing how a lot of us are, we will figure it out soon enough, but…”  
  
Makan nodded ad had an idea. “If you don’t mind, I was here seeing what we could afford to lose if our attempts at sending a… care package... to young Rameses went awry and the contents didn’t arrive,” he said. “You know, things like foods that he may miss, weapons and armor of better quality than the civilian militia issue equipment he had on him… perhaps we can send it all in a package with you. Along with some other things.”  
  
“I’m surprised that you’re going through this much trouble,” Persephone said.  
  
“Whether we like it or not, he’s basically Aincrad’s representative,” Makan explained. “We want to make sure he stays alive and wants to come back.”  
  
Persephone nodded in agreement. “His sister is coming with me,” she noted. “And she can use the storage function of the Mystic Tome.” She then smirked. “And it will give her another reason to chew him out, not that he hasn’t earned it. The Princess may settle for embarrassing him with her punishment, I wish I had a picture to show you. You would find it amusing. He explained his actions and the Princess settled for merely embarrassing him with her punishment. However, we didn’t promise that we wouldn’t inform others. Like his sister. And with me bringing his sister, she will be able to voice our displeasure with his almost getting himself killed holding off something that would give a Guardian a hard time.”  
  
Persephone’s smirk sent chills down Makan’s spine. He wasn’t sure what was worse, Princess Persephone’s innocent smile… or that smirk that was now on her face. He was just glad that she wasn’t plotting against him. Makan forced himself to nod. Wait a moment, he held of something that would give a _Guardian,_ a Princess who was tied to a _planet’s power_ a hard time?  
  
“Living up to his family name,” Makan muttered, remembering an old friend who had gone out fighting against _something_ that he now realized was a precursor to the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu invasion.  
  
“Yes,” Persephone agreed. “But Badb was standing right there, as were the Princess, Commander and several other Guardians. There was no reason for him to have risked himself in such a way.”  
  
“He’s a Soufire,” Makan said as he went about gathering the contents of the ‘care package’.  
  
“And how does that explain it?” Persephone asked.  
  
“There was an old friend of mine, Amunran Soulfire,” Makan explained. “We ran into something that forced him into a desperate enough state to use a spell that boosted his magic to insane levels with which which he killed the thing and it burned him to ash. It wasn’t fear, or not the same kind of fear most of us would be familiar with. It was the kind of fear that becomes a desperation to eliminate the cause of it without regard for one’s own personal survival.” He shuddered. “I will never forget that day, or the terror that completely froze me and everyone else. Looking back, it was a precursor to the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu invasion and everything else that happened on that day. And if you look at his family’s history, they often fought, and died, against such threats before the Guardians could get involved. It’s how they earned their family name. Souls burning with the flames of the sun, indeed. Whatever it was, it probably triggered his sense of desperation enough to do it. That he survived it...”  
  
“I see,” Persephone whispered. “And he nearly didn’t. Had I not Awakened when I did to kill that thing and then used my abilities to heal him…”  
  
Makan handed her the case he had put everything in. “It is larger on the inside, of course, but this should suffice for now,” he said. “And we will put together another one and see if we can send it to Earth, or at least the Queen’s Palace, which we know has a beacon. Unfortunately, we can’t send one with you, as we have used all of our spares to replace the ones that died over the last ten thousand years, meaning that every beacon on Aincrad has failed at least once.”  
  
“Give me one that’s died then,” Persephone said. “We are planning a trip to the Palace at some point, hopefully there will also be a ship that is in working order that we can fix up to get a large group here. But if you give me a dead Beacon, we might be able to reverse engineer it.”  
  
Makan blinked at her. “You want a dead beacon?”  
  
“What’s the harm in it?” Persephone asked. “We are going to be trying to build a Teleport Gate in our Headquarters eventually…”  
  
Makan nodded slowly and added one of the dead beacons he had on hand.  
  
Loaded down with everything she needed, finally, Persephone made her way back to Healer Hakonia’s office.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kebechet was waiting when Persephone arrived. “I’m ready to go when you are.” She told Persephone.  
  
“All right.” Persephone agreed, “Can you hold a few things in storage for me while I teleport us back to Earth?” She asked the Spriggan.  
  
“Sure,” Kebechet chirped happily. She took the case and stuffed it in her Mystic Tome’s Storage.  
  
“Alright, Kebechet, hang on, I’d hate to lose you in transit.” Persephone joked.  
  
Kebechet shivered before latching onto the human girl tightly. “Not funny,” she said.  
  
Persephone glowed for a moment, her Guardian Armor appearing as well as the Silence Glaive in one hand. A moment later, the two girls were gone.

* * *

  
  
**Japan; Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
When Persephone arrived, it was to an unamused Kirito and Asuna. _“Where the hell have you been?!_ ” Asuna hissed angrily. “I thought I told you to _wait_ …”  
  
“I hope you have _some kind_ of explanation, Persephone…” Kirito agreed, his expression quite cross.  
  
“Um…” Persephone put on her most innocent look, “I come bearing gifts?” she tried.  
  
Asuna’s eyes narrowed even more, the light glinting off the Ginzuishou on her necklace. “That is not going to get you off the hook, Persephone.” the Princess growled.  
  
Persephone laughed nervously. She shrugged out of her passenger’s grasp easily enough. She turned to the girl. “Can I have that thing out of your Storage now?” She asked in Lunarian.  
  
The girl nodded, pulling out a case of some kind. “Can I go find my brother now?” She asked. “I need to have some… words with him.”  
  
“Go on, he should be around here somewhere.” Persephone replied, turning her attention to the case. She opened the case and pulled out two very familiar sheathed swords.  
  
Kirito’s breath hitched at the sight of them. “Persephone, are those what I think they are?” He asked disbelievingly.  
  
“You’ll have to come see for yourself.” Persephone invited.  
  
“Rameses, þú fjandinn hálfviti!!” She heard Kebechet shout, causing the three of them to turn toward the shrine. “Komdu þar sem ég get séð þig og… Rameses, hvað ertu með?”  
  
“Skuggi?!” Rameses asked in surprise. “Hvað ertu að gera hér?!”  
  
“Rameses, avaḷu yāru?” They heard Silica ask.  
  
Kirito and Asuna turned back to Persephone with raised eyebrows. “Persephone, who was that?” Kirito asked. “And she looks like she’s a Spriggan.”  
  
“His sister,” Persephone said. “Or at least she said she is. Her name’s Kebechet. She definitely knows him.”  
  
Tilnel coughed. “He informed me about her,” she said when they turned their attention to her. “She lost her entire family when Aincrad was invaded and his parents took her in. By the time things were sorted out, she was adopted into his family.”  
  
“I see,” Asuna said with a nod. “And she just charged in there and saw him all dolled up. I wonder what she will-” They were interrupted by the sound of the aforementioned Spriggan’s laughter. “Never mind, I think I know. And we had Silica all dressed up as well. You missed it, the two looked so cute together, like a couple of proper ladies, save that one of them is actually male. Well, Rameses still looks that way, and will for the rest of the day, and we’re taking him to the Dicey Cafe later.” She looked at Persephone. “Now, if you want my punishing you to be that mild, tell me what you brought back, as I see you took the time to pick up some souvenirs.”  
  
“I recognize two Anneal Blades,” Kirito said as he walked over and looked into the box. “Some armor. And… Asuna, remember your Wind Fleuret?”  
  
“Yes, why?”  
  
Kirito reached in and pulled out something. Holding it, he turned to Asuna. “It looks like Persephone got you a new one. And I saw more in there. Not enough to equip everyone, but we can equip a few with some proper gear now.” He turned to Persephone. “How did you get all this?”  
  
“The Captain-General was nice enough to help me get all this” Persephone said. “We’ll need Rameses to help inventory it all, as I think some stuff was put in for him. You know, a proper upgrade for his gear, some other things like supplies and maybe some food from home… And, I learned that what he did against that poltergeist, or whatever it was, is something of a family trait. A family member of his ended up stopping a precursor to the Youma invasion that caused The Fall cold at the cost of his life in the same manner a couple of decades prior. We need to talk to the Captain and ask him if he remembers an Amunran Soulfire.”  
  
Kirito nodded, one of the Anneal Blades in one hand, holding out Wind Fleuret for Asuna with the other.  
  
Asuna’s eyes had gone wide at the sight of the Rapier in Kirito’s hand, and with trembling fingers, she took the Rapier from him. This sword held a special place in her memory, in her heart, since Kirito had been the one to give it to her the first time. She hugged it against her chest.  
  
“Kirito-kun, see if Inanna and Lux are still around,” Asuna said. “And have them put Persephone in something appropriate. Not as… adorable as what Rameses and Silica are wearing, but not _too_ revealing or risqué. She’s coming with us. And get a camera. Also, see if they have something on hand if Klein’s there and hits on Rameses’ sister. Perhaps a furisode for him, though getting him to look demure and feminine will be a challenge.”  
  
Kirito nodded, slinging one of the two Anneal Blades over his shoulder. “As you command then, Asuna-hime.” he said, heading back inside. The thought of getting Klein putting a large smile on his face.  
  
“So, dressing me up?” Persephone asked. “That… doesn’t sound like too much of a punishment.”  
  
Asuna’s smile was terrifying all of a sudden. “I’m leaving it up to Inanna,” she said. “With the caveats that I told Kirito to pass on. It will be suitably embarrassing, I assure you. You should remember how creative she can get when she has… restrictions placed on how far she can take things.”  
  
Persephone had a memory come to the fore and swallowed nervously. “Y-yes… I do…” she agreed.  
  
Kirito reappeared with Lux a moment later, dressed in the same thing Asuna had put him in. “Minako is ready for her, Asuna-hime.” He said with a grin.  
  
“Time to face the music, Persephone-chan.” Asuna sang in a whispered tone to her friend as she pushed the older girl into the Shrine.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito learned that Kebechet was quite willing to dress up to fit into the group, as it turned out.  
  
“You know, I can use a metamorphosis spell on him to make him, you know, actually female,” Kebechet said idly as she looked at her reflection. The dress she was in was of the same general style as her brother’s, if in a dark violet. Her petticoat was black, and she was wearing black tights with her feet clad by low heeled boots the same color as her dress. Her dark purple hair was braided and pulled into a bun. There was not a lot of makeup on her face, but that was because Lux felt that it was largely not needed. She was pretty enough as it was, even as an illusion hid her pointed ears.  
  
“Now, Skuggi, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Rameses said quickly. “Last time you did that to me, I spent almost two months as a girl last Awakening before the spell wore off since no one was going to reverse it”  
  
Kirito and Asuna both turned green at the reminder. “No thank you, we have a Simulation of Alfheim, and we’ve had a bad experience with the Spell.” Kirito replied, remembering with a shiver the other player that he’d eaten. “Also… turning him into a girl? And for that long? How…”  
  
“ _Far_ too complete for my liking,” Rameses said, apparently knowing what Kirito was about to ask.  
  
“Quit being a baby, you only had to deal with going through a moon flow once,” Kebechet snarked. “I have to deal with that every month, and if you were born a girl, you would have had to deal with just as often.”  
  
Rameses sent his sister a glare. “Being dressed up like this, I can handle,” he said. “About to be paraded in front of a lot of people in public? Again, I’ll live. Both are not the first time this has happened to me, as you well know. You were responsible for most of those times, Skuggi. But _being_ a girl? No offense, sister, but I am male and happy to remain one.”  
  
Kebechet turned her attention to Kirito and Asuna. “What was your experience with the spell, if I may ask?”  
  
Kirito looked around, “The other person is fine, the Simulation was marketed as a game, but I ended up _eating_ someone.”  
  
Kebechet blinked. “What did you turn into that would allow you to eat someone else?” She wanted to know. She was morbidly curious at this point. She couldn’t think of anything off the top of her head that was nearly big enough to allow the transformed person to eat someone else.  
  
“The Gleam Eyes…” Asuna replied. “We know that it’s unlikely that he would actually turn into that Monster outside the Simulation, but…” Asuna hugged Kirito tightly. “My poor Kirito-kun…”  
  
Kebechet thought it over and grimaced. Yes, that Monster of a Tower Guardian was indeed big enough to do that, “Ok, fair enough,” she said. “The best I’ve done outside of changing my brother’s gender was to turn into a Sabercat. Thank the Goddesses that I kept track of when Rājakumāri’s seasons and avoided transforming those times of the year.” She knelt down and hugged the Sabercat. “And who’s a good ‘cat? You are.” She cooed. “You’re keeping your pet human from doing anything stupid when you can. Yes, you’re a good ‘cat.”  
  
Another meow caught her attention as a larger Sabercat rubbed against one of Kirito’s legs.  
  
Kirito sighed as he knelt down and started scratching behind the Sabercat’s ears. “This is Ēkate. He’s my Sabercat, or I’m his human…”  
  
“Persephone is done!” Minako announced. “Come on out, Persephone.”

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Persephone was blushing madly as she entered the place that Agil owned and operated in the real world. She had planned to visit here at some point, but not while wearing something like this. Asuna-sama’s injunction against anything too revealing or perverted had been held to, but Minako, Inanna’s reincarnation, seemed to know just how far to take things.  
  
She actually had no problem with wearing a maid outfit, not really. She would admit that she had seen enough anime and passed by maid cafes before, so she had imagined what she would look like when wearing one. So no, she didn’t find wearing one to be embarrassing.  
  
What she found embarrassing was just how it fit her. Minako had managed to procure one that was made of some kind of cloth that covered everything it is supposed to and seemed to shimmer when the light hit it just right. The fabric across her chest was even thicker to prevent the lines of her bra from showing through. The skirt of the outfit was even flared out and went to her thighs once the petticoat was taken into account. Yes, she would have to walk carefully to avoid flashing anyone, but she had worn skirts that were smaller than it as part of her school uniforms. The stockings that terminated just below the hem of the skirt were more revealing than she was used to, she preferred proper tights, thank you, but she could manage. Add in the boots that went to her calf, though with higher heels than was apparent on a casual inspection forcing her to take daintier steps as a matter of course, and it would not have been too much, had it not been for a couple of issues.  
  
First, the outfit molded itself to her upper body and fit her like a glove, and leaving nothing to the imagination. In fact, it made the flaring of the skirt of the outfit even _more_ apparent, as it made it seem as if her hips were just a bit wider than they actually were, and were now emphasized by how the skirt drew attention to them. The cuffs on her wrists that went over the gloves that covered her arms over the elbows had loops that one could probably fit locks through. Secondly, Minako had even somehow managed to change her underwear without her noticing, so she was aware that her bra and panties were _not_ the more modest ones she had favored and worn since puberty started. Again, nothing too risqué, but if someone were to see the lines, they would have shown cuts that were more appropriate for a fashion model to wear.  
  
Rather than show anything, it hinted and teased. Both Rameses and Kirito only took one brief look at her before hurriedly looking somewhere else with blushes their faces. Not that Asuna didn’t notice her consort’s reaction. He was now in a black gothic lolita dress for the second time this day. With white stockings and black pumps, looking resigned to his wife’s antics, not that she didn’t find herself in a matching outfit of red and white herself when Minako decided that everyone should be in appropriate wear.  
  
At least they didn’t do anything with her hair, outside of some extensions so that it could be fashioned into a proper bun.  
  
Minako, Lux and Tilnel were dressed in Victorian outfits of a more mature look, if still modest. It seemed as if Inanna’s reincarnation liked playing dress-up when she could, or was trolling every one of them by looking the part of the woman who was escorting them all.  
  
Not that any of them looked bad. They all looked quite good.  
  
Agil and Kathy were both staring at the group they made. “Asuna, what did they all do to displease you _this_ time?” Agil ask in amusement.  
  
Kirito huffed, “I’ll have you know that I didn’t do anything this time Agil.” He pointed to the one in red. “This idiot over here put Asuna-hime in a _mood_. And then Persephone up and disappeared for several hours.”  
  
Asuna was looking quite proud of herself despite being similarly dressed. “On another note, we found something that will give Inanna a proper outlet for all the stress she’s been feeling.” She went to a booth and sat down. “Inanna likes playing Dress Up, if you’ll remember.”  
  
Agil took a moment to think about it. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.” He muttered as Kirito sat down next to her.  
  
“I’m not sure that’s possible.” Kirito muttered.  
  
“So, if you didn’t do anything this time, then why are you in a dress again, Commander?” Agil asked.  
  
“I didn’t do anything _wrong_ this time.” Kirito repeated pointedly, feeling the need to emphasize the point. “Better to go along with it and have _some_ say in what she sticks me in.”  
  
Asuna snuggled into his side happily, giggling. “You know you are enjoying it, Commander.” she chirped.  
  
Kirito looked down at her pointedly. Then he sighed. “You are lucky I love you…” he muttered with a playful pout.  
  
Asuna leaned in and whispered something in his ear that caused his face to go bright red.  
  
Kathy poked her head out of the kitchen, “Andrew who’s…” She put a hand over her mouth.  
  
“Persephone, what did you do?” Agil asked when he saw what she was wearing. Just as quickly he turned his attention back to his wife, who was looking at him curiously.  
  
“Andrew?” She asked.  
  
“Nothing, Kathy.” He said, his cheeks darkening.  
  
Kathy gave Persephone a speculative look and then snorted.  
  
“So, Persephone, right?” Kathy asked.  
  
The girl dressed as a maid nodded, “That’s me.” she agreed.  
  
“Why are you dressed like that in public?” Kathy enquired.  
  
“Ah, this is my punishment I’m afraid.” Persephone explained. “I went somewhere that is currently off limits.”  
  
“‘Off limits’ she says…” Kirito laughed, “That’s an understatement.”  
  
“Indeed.” Asuna agreed.  
  


* * *

****

  
The bell over the door rang and everyone turned to see who it was. “Ah, Sasha-sensei.” Kirito greeted, “How are you?”  
  
“Quite well, Commander.” The young woman replied, eying each of the group in turn. “Why does it look like Ashley got her hands on all of you?”  
  
“Ashley?” Minako asked. “Sakura, I got all this from Tomoyo-chan.”  
  
“Hoe?” Sasha turned to Asuna’s double. “Tomoyo-chan went by Ashley in SAO. I didn’t know you knew her- Mina?! What are you doing here?”  
  
Minako grinned. “Accompanying Asuna-sama and amusing myself with dressing people up,” she replied and then gave her an apologetic look. “And I’m sorry you got dragged into this war. You already fought your battles and you earned your peace, even if there were times when I seriously considered calling you and asking for your help.”  
  
Sasha gave her old friend a serious look. “They are starting to poke around Tomoeda already.” She replied, “It was only a matter of time before Syaoran and I would have gotten involved, regardless.” She turned to Kirito and gave him an amused look. “So, Commander, why are you in a dress?”  
  
“Because Asuna-hime has decided that she likes making me dress up. And that she likes seeing me in drag.” Kirito shrugged with a sigh. “So, how has the investigation been going?” he asked, turning to a more serious topic as he waved Sasha over to sit with them.  
  
They didn’t pay any mind to the two children that followed Sasha or the small team of DDA members filing into the establishment.  
  
“Not so well I’m afraid,” Sasha replied, pulling the young man with her to the booth and sat down.  
  
“Who is this?” Kirito asked, looking at the older man.  
  
“My name is Li Syaoran.” Syaoran said, “And I owe you a drink.”  
  
“Not until this crisis is over I’m afraid.” Kirito refuted with a shake of his head. He turned his attention back to Sasha. “I take it you have something to report?”  
  
Sasha bit her lip. “I do.” She said, “And none of it good.” She shook her head.  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed as he opened his Menu, to the Message Function and got ready to take notes. “Go ahead.”  
  
Sasha took a deep breath and began. “The magic itself is extremely malicious.” She began. “We could all feel it, even outside the walls of the school.”  
  
Kirito stopped typing. “Even…?” he asked, his eyes sliding over to the man sitting next to her.  
  
Syaoran smirked, “Ask again after you’ve dealt with what’s on your plate.”  
  
Kirito nodded, tabling the discussion for the moment, making a note in another window. “And what happened once you got inside?”  
  
“It… didn’t _feel_ like an attack, exactly.” Sasha said after a moment of thought. “But the moment we stepped over the threshold of the school, we were all hit by debilitating headaches which would have made us unable to fight if we needed to. However, it stayed at being headaches as we didn’t come closer. I think it was a ward, a nasty one. It was warning us off, like whoever placed it wanted to make sure that no one with active magic would want to go inside and investigate.”  
  
Kirito nodded, continuing with his notes. It was a good thing that Persephone had been able to get out of that place. “Persephone was lucky to get out before anyone realized that she’d gone Active.” He muttered. “You are not to go back, Sasha-sensei.” He told her seriously.  
  
“I _can_ handle myself.” Sasha grumbled quietly.  
  
“Maybe so, but we don’t have the resources to deal with that school and deal with the Dark Kingdom at the same time.” Kirito said sharply. “I will not risk your life needlessly.” And that was the end of it.  
  
Sasha gave a grudging nod. “Understood, Commander,” she told him and then turned to shoot the two tagalongs a look. “And that goes double for you two, Xena, Heracles. Make sure that Iolaus also knows.”  
  
“Yes, Sasha-sensei,” both replied.  
  
“Good.” Sasha gave a tight smile. “So, do you have anything planned, Commander?” She asked, turning back to Kirito.

* * *

  
  
**March 10, 2025: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Agil looked up as the door opened, “Welcome to the Dicey Cafe,” he said as Kirito and Captain Heathcliff entered. He made note of, but paid no real attention to the huge Sabercat that had started following Kirito around like a lost puppy.  
  
Kirito sat heavily on one of the bar stools and let his head fall to the countertop, “That is the second one who has decided that it would be easier to drug me than to help me work through my problems!” he sighed.  
  
Heathcliff chuckled, “It’s not really their fault, or yours, Kirito-kun.” He pointed out.  
  
“How is it not their fault that they think making us all loopy is the solution?” Kirito growled, turning to look at the older man. “That’s all the doctors ever seem to want to do these days.”  
  
“Can I get the two of you anything?” Agil asked hesitantly.  
  
“A stiff drink would be nice,” Kirito sighed, “But I’m not old enough to drink. So, some coffee will have to do I suppose.”  
  
Agil turned to Heathcliff. “And you?”  
  
“As tempting as Kirito’s suggestion is… it’s too early in the day I think. I’ll have some Black Tea instead.” Heathcliff gave Kirito a glance before leaning in to whisper in Agil’s ear. “However, adding a little kick to our drinks wouldn’t be amiss.”  
  
Agil nodded, taking note that Kirito had permission but saying nothing. “Coming right up.”  
  
A good five minutes later, a mug of coffee and a mug of tea were placed before Kirito and Heathcliff.  
  
A big bowl of water was placed in front of the Sabercat, who’s answering meow sounded thankful.  
  
“Part of me thinks that we aren’t going to be able to find anyone that will work, at least in Japan…” Kirito muttered, letting his head fall back onto the countertop with a quiet thump.  
  
“Having someone shipped in from America would cost too much,” Heathcliff replied. “Even with the resources at my disposal.”  
  
“Why can’t we just ask Luna and Artemis then?” Kirito asked, “You said that they’ve dealt with cases like ours before.”  
  
“That was in peacetime, Kirito-kun, right now we are at war. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. I am, however, doubtful that they would be able to get any meaningful results in the short amount of time that we have at the moment.” Heathcliff reminded him. “And you and Asuna-kun will need to be weaned of your dependency on each other. It’s working for now, but it’s not healthy for either of you in the long run.”  
  
“If only we had the time for that,” Kirito sighed. “Still, we should see if they can do anything, even if it’s only a little.” He took a sip of his coffee and wondered a bit about the odd taste. He swallowed and started coughing at the burn that went down his throat. “You spiked my drink.” He wheezed after he got his coughing under control. “What did you put into it?”  
  
“Half a shot of whiskey,” Agil said. “And that will be the only one. Just enough to calm you a little. Just don’t expect me to do this regularly.”  
  
“I don’t expect you to do it at all,” Kirito replied. “I need a clear head. And while a stiff drink might be nice, using alcohol to handle the issues Asuna and I, not to mention anyone else who is having problems, are going through is probably worse than the pills.”  
  
“It’s good that you know that,” Agil said with a nod. “And if you want an idea, how about Boxy?”  
  
“Boxy?” Kirito asked. “Why him?”  
  
“That might work,” Heathcliff said. “He’s a Catholic priest, so he won’t suggest a pharmaceutical solution. Try and convert you to his faith, maybe, but not that. More importantly, we know we can trust him.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “I’ll run that by Asuna then. We’ll just need to know where he can normally be found.”  
  
“I’ll work on that,” Heathcliff promised and then turned to Agil. “So, how are your plans for the expansion of this place along with putting our headquarters here?”  
  
“They are coming along.” Agil said. “It’s still in the planning stages for right now. Kathy and I need to build a reserve of funds for when the construction work truly begins, as there will be times when we have to close down.”  
  
“If you need funding, I can help there,” Heathcliff said.  
  
“There’s no need to put yourself out for us, Captain,” Agil protested.  
  
“I have more than enough money,” Heathcliff countered. “Even with the cost of living in Tokyo, I can afford to support you two for a few months if need be. And if it comes to it, some investments I made should be bearing fruit and would be able to handle the cost soon enough.”  
  
“Well, if you are sure…” Agil hesitated to agree.  
  
“How soon can construction start?” Kirito asked. “Barring any complications, of course.”  
  
“Next week.” Came Kathy’s voice from behind Agil, causing her husband to nearly jump out of his skin in surprise. She giggled at his reaction.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Silica watched in bemusement as Rameses dodged Kebechet’s grab as she chased him around the room.  
  
Pina gave the pair a chirp before turning her attention on to Silica’s hair. Hatchlings would be hatchlings. But those two weren’t hers to take care of. Her Silica’s hair needed preening.  
  
“Damn it, Skuggi, I don’t need you hovering over me!” Rameses protested.  
  
“You didn’t contact me at all for several weeks!” Kebechet shot back. “Weeks Rameses, _weeks_! Not days! And then you nearly kill yourself by using _that_ spell. Both mom and dad warned you about using it when they taught it to you.” She finally caught him and put him in a headlock. “If you think that I am going to let you out of my sight then think again!”  
  
“I’m simply going to take a shower!” Rameses returned. “What could endanger me there, the curtains?”  
  
“Oh no… he didn’t just say that…” Silica sighed. “Rameses, you should know better than to tempt Murphy…”  
  
“Murphy?” Rameses asked. “Who or what is-”  
  
“Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”  
  
“Ah, Aincrad’s Fourth Rule when being out of the towns,” Rameses said with a nod. “Got it. Also, can you help me before my sister tries to graft herself to me?”  
  
Silica looked at Kebechet, who was shooting her a look just daring her to try. “I am not getting between your sister and you, Rameses,” Silica replied. “I think I will tell Rei-sensei that you’re in the bath, instead.”  
  
“Oh?” Kebechet said as she stopped. “Trying to keep someone from peeking on my brother? Or from walking in on him? Or just making it so that you’re the only one?” She smirked as Silica blushed in embarrassment. She spied Rameses trying to inch away and grabbed him. “Hah! Got you!”  
  
“Skuggi!”  
  
“He’s a bit young for her,” Silica said. “She’s an early riser, so she’s usually done before anyone else is awake. And she makes sure I am up too damn early, though Rameses seems to wake up early as well and likes to take a quick shower in the mornings. That’s _one_ trip to the bath I won’t forget.” That last sentence was said quietly. She remembered that incident, as it was her who walked in on him as he was drying off. His towel hid his… equipment, but it didn’t hide the fact that his chest and arms were well defined and had several scars on them. Most were small and shallow, but there were two on his shoulders that were considerably larger and deeper.  
  
It was enough for her to not notice that he was getting an eyeful as well long enough for him to toss her a towel and to walk out of the room, cool as a cucumber. Well, maybe not that, given that he was trying to look at anything and everything but her for the next several hours afterward. And when his eyes did fall on her, he got a blush on his face and quickly turned his attention elsewhere.  
  
Not that she was much better.  
  
Kebechet looked at her with narrow eyes. “And what do you mean by that?” She asked.  
  
 _How did she- oh, right, her ears,_ Silica thought. She should have expected that the Spriggan had sharp hearing. And she didn’t even realize that she had muttered in Lunarian, either.  
  
“Nothing happened, Skuggi,” Rameses said as he continued to try and break free of his sister’s grip. “She walked in on me while I was in the bath and she was still groggy from just waking up. And tone it down. Silica is that dragon’s human, and she strikes me as the protective type.”  
  
Pina climbed onto the top of Silica’s head and hissed at the Spriggan.  
  
Kebechet blinked. “She’s that dragon’s… wait, is that girl a _Tamer_?” She asked.  
  
Silica puffed out her chest proudly. “I am.” She gave Kebechet a curious look. “What of it?” She asked as Pina got back to grooming her hair.  
  
“Oh, nothing,” Kebechet said and then gave her a sly look. “Also, you walked in on him when he was bathing I bet you got an eyeful.”  
  
Silica blushed and frantically tried to deny that she saw anything. She didn’t see his scarred chest and the towel was in the way!  
  
“Oh?” Kebechet asked with a smirk. “The towel was in the way? And his scars?” She let Rameses go and he quickly got far enough away to be out of easy reach. Walking over, she stood over Silica.  
  
Pina stopped her grooming of Silica’s hair and hissed at the Spriggan again, her eyes narrow. Her feathers started rising to make her look bigger.  
  
Rameses took the chance to escape the room. He didn’t really like sacrificing Silica so that he could get away, she was nice, he liked her, but sacrifices had to be made to get away from Kebechet.  
  
Pina was giving off low growls which Silica knew to be growls of warning to the Spriggan.  
  
“Pina, knock it off.” Silica said to the dragon on her head, “I really doubt Kebechet is going to hurt me.”  
  
Pina cooed at Silica and took off from her head to go sulk.  
  
Silica rolled her eyes at her feathered friend’s antics.

* * *

  
  
**March 14, 2025: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito carefully checked the wrapping of the gift he’d been working on for the last month between all the Patrols he and Asuna had been going on, the training he’d been doing to build up his magic, and looking for a Psychologist that wouldn’t make it impossible for him to fight.  
  
He hoped his White Day gift would be up to the standards of what Asuna had given him.  
  
The chocolate had been delicious, even if he’d been made to wear a dress half the day. Asuna had gone to a lot of trouble to make that chocolate. He’d been able to taste the effort she’d put into it.  
  
It had taken some doing, but he’d managed to track down Ashley to get her help. Being made her dress up doll for several hours was well worth it. Not that he liked being made into the woman’s dress up doll. At least it was _male_ clothing this time.  
  
Kirito carefully set the wrapped box onto his desk and turned to his napping fiancée. Reaching out, he poked at her cheek gently. “Asuna-hime, get up, I have something for you.”  
  
Asuna blinked sleepily, “What Kirito-kun?”  
  
Kirito smirked, “Did you forget what today is?” he asked playfully.  
  
She blinked then snapped awake. “It’s White Day!”  
  
Kirito grinned as he carefully scooped up the gift and handed it to her. “For you, Asuna-hime.”  
  
Asuna took the wrapped box and opened it.

* * *

  
  
**March 17, 2025: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Agil eyed the stripped down walls of his bar and cafe. First things first, it was time to remodel the cafe and bar portion and move the kitchen.  
  
Once that was done, they could start work on the sub-basement. So far, it was looking quite good.  
  
At the moment, the Contractor was inspecting the structure to make sure it was up to the building code. It would cost more if their building wasn’t. “Are there any problems that you can see for moving the kitchen?” He asked.  
  
“Nope, everything seems to be in order up here.” the man said, “I still have to look at your basement, but I don’t see anything that could become a problem later.”  
  
Well, thank goodness for that. “And, assuming that there are no problems that come up, how long will the renovations take?” Agil asked.  
  
“Assuming no problems come up?” the Contractor repeated for confirmation.  
  
Agil nodded.  
  
The Contractor looked around, “Assuming no problems, a month, perhaps two. At the fastest, if we have no other jobs to do in that time.”  
  
Agil nodded, “Sounds good, when can the construction start?”  
  
“Tomorrow.”

* * *

  
  
**Yokohama General Hospital**  
  
Yuuki and Ran were waiting patiently for the doctor overseeing their cases to arrive. Both of them were feeling just a tad nervous.  
  
There was a knock at the door and Doctor Kurahashi let himself into the room. “Good morning girls.”  
  
“Good morning Sensei.” they replied.  
  
“Today girls, we will be moving the two of you to the Medicuboids.” Doctor Kurahashi said.  
  
Yuuki and Ran both smiled.  
  
“We’ve been waiting for that news.” Ran said, “We really need to get back into VR, at least for the moment.”  
  
“We’ll need to decontaminate you before we put you in the clean rooms where the Medicuboid is located.” Kurahashi explained. “What’s already in you is, sadly, something we can’t do much about, but better to prevent any new infections from being brought in.”  
  
Ran and Yuuki shared a look and Yuuki gave her sister a nod. They’d been discussing how they wanted to be cleansed, and since neither had ever had the chance to be baptized…  
  
“We can agree to that.” Ran said for them both.  
  
Besides that, once they’d been decontaminated, Persephone could kill whatever they had that was left. It wasn’t a cure, but it was the best thing they could have right now.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Doctor Kurahashi,” said a familiar voice and Ran looked up from her cold, cold bath.  
  
“Captain Heathcliff.” Ran said quietly. What was he doing here?  
  
“Good afternoon, Kayaba-san,” Doctor Kurahashi said, turning to the younger man. “Thank you for allowing this hospital to run the clinical trials for the Medicuboid.”  
  
Captain Heathcliff was Akihiko Kayaba? Ran blinked, but kept her mouth shut. She could ask Captain Heathcliff what was going on later, preferably _after_ she and Yuuki had been cured by Persephone of what lingered in their systems and situated in the Medicuboid, where they would be able to live in Alfheim Online, or maybe even SAO, until a solution for curing them could be found. Ran wasn’t about to hold her breath. Persephone had only been able to regress what was ailing them and not just cure them completely.  
  
But it bought them time. Time for something to be worked out.  
  
She pushed those thoughts out of her head and watched as Heathcliff turned to them.  
  
“You know, I expected that you were in SAO with the rest of us,” she said in Lunarian. “It was your creation. But _Heathcliff_?”  
  
“If it helps, I was wearing my face, the face of my Past Life, to be precise.” Akihiko Kayaba explained.  
  
“Ok, I will let you have _that_ one…” she agreed. “And with how most if not all the players hated you, it would have been safer, for you personally, if you weren’t wearing your actual face.”  
  
“Indeed.” Kayaba agreed. “Do you hate me, Ran?”  
  
Ran looked away from him for a moment to think about it. “No,” she decided, “I don’t hate you. You did everything you could to save Grimlock-san, his wife and their marriage.”  
  
“Thank you Ran.” Kayaba said quietly.


	19. Patrolling Schools

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrolling and the beginning of school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are closer to the bottom that the top but meh.
> 
> “Taktu það sem þú ræktir sýktum hórum! = Take that you spawn of diseased whores!
> 
> Cennāgi, nāvu nāśavāgiddēve = Well, we're fucked.
> 
> Skít = Shit
> 
> Þeír sér lind ásynja, burt eimi og sverð! = Butterfly Shield incantation -- Just in case.
> 
> Þrír eru svangir = You three are hungry.
> 
> Þú talar Alvarin = You speak Alvarin?
> 
> Já ég get = Yes I can
> 
> Bíddu bara systur = Just wait, sister.
> 
> Avaḷu Rauni abhimāni mattu ī- = She's a fan of Rauni's and this-
> 
> Rameses, nīvu mucci hōdare, nānu nim'mannu ondu huḍugige tirugisalu mattu mundina kelavu tiṅgaḷugaḷinda ā rīti biṭṭu hōguttēne. = Rameses, if you don't shut up, I'm going to turn you into a girl and leave you that way for the next several months.
> 
> Adannu taḷḷibiḍi = Knock it off.
> 
> Nantara miḍi, nīvu eraḍu, = flirt later you two.
> 
> hasiru uḍuge, biḷi hogeyannu mundina bāri, = Green dress and white stockings next time Rameses.

**Aincrad; Skarlet Pyales: Phōrj**  
  
Captain-General Makan Aldursson Eldurlag smiled secretly to himself as he walked into Viegur’s Domain. Healer Hakonia had shared with him the bomb that Princess Persephone had dropped on the Undine woman about a human girl reverse engineering the Leprechaun Skill Mystic Forging, _before she learned that she was capable of magic_.  
  
And now it was time to drop said bomb on their resident Head Blacksmith: Leprechaun Veigur. His reaction was sure to be delicious! Veigur was his friend, but he loved poking at the other man.  
  
His reaction was going to be just _glorious_. Makan spotted his Leprechaun friend bent over the forge, probably spending some of his precious little downtime on refining the Elucidator to the point where it could actually be issued.  
  
He waited until Veigur was finished with his hammer and had picked up what he was working on. “Hey, Veigur.” he called.  
  
The Leprechaun started, turning around a moment later. “Makan, you damned Lizard!” The man huffed, “Why do you always do that?”  
  
Makan put an innocent smile on his face, letting the insult slide off his back due to the fact that he’d known this Leprechaun for centuries at this point. They were very good friends, and he knew the Leprechaun didn’t actually mean anything by it.  
  
“I bring news.” Makan told the slightly bigger man.  
  
“What kind, Makan?” Veigur asked, giving the Salamander a suspicious look.  
  
“The Princess, and all her Guardians have been reincarnated, along with our good friend Captain Heathcliff.” Makan proclaimed. “Among others, all of whom at least seem to be on our side.”  
  
“That wasn’t the _only_ thing you have to tell me.” Veigur said accusingly. “What _else_ are you here for?”  
  
Makan’s smile widened. “I have it on good authority that someone has either managed to reverse engineer _Mystic Forging,_ or is in the process of duplicating it.”  
  
Veigur straightened from his normal slouch. “Where, who and how did you find out?” He asked. “This person needs someone to guide him so that he doesn’t accidentally kill himself.”  
  
“First, it’s a her,” Makan said with a smirk. “Second, she’s on Earth. Thirdly, I found out from Princess Persephone’s reincarnation herself. Apparently Heathcliff managed to find a way to awaken the magic of a few thousand people quickly using a simulation of here.”

* * *

  
  
**Japan; Minato Ward; Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rameses looked down at the innocent looking box that Princess Persephone had left for him, he was slightly suspicious, seeing as how his sister had been the one carrying it, but Skuggi had long since calmed down to the point where she no longer clung to him, as if she was going to lose the last remaining family member she had. She had gone through that once, so it wasn’t as if he didn’t understand why she was afraid of it happening again.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Rameses opened it and started to take inventory of what Skuggi and Princess Persephone had brought back for him, and several others, likely.  
  
He went through the contents, noting and cataloguing the weapons and armor as he pulled them out. He also pulled out a couple of boxes of healing crystals to set aside. He would pass them on to be handed out.  
  
Some pre-packed rations and... oh nice! Some of his favorite spices had been packed as well, If he could borrow the kitchen, he might be able to make something from home with these. The food here was good enough. Different, but good. But he would admit that he was missing some of the things he learned how to make from Aincrad, like roasted and marinated Frenzy Boar. Simple, hearty, and easy to make. Not to mention that it could be prepared and cooked when out in the field, which had been a definite plus when he had been helping with check the biomes last Awakening. The pork here was close, even if the smell of it cooking brought up uncomfortable memories of him nearly burning himself alive, so he could use it as a substitute.  
  
He was no culinary master, but he did know how to cook a few recipes.  
  
He looked through the weapons he had already set aside and carefully set one of the daggers aside to give to Silica later. The knife she was using was working well enough right now, but he would feel better if she had a proper weapon if she was going to head out and fight Youma. _Heh, I’m starting to think of them with the same term the locals do,_ he thought as he looked through the armor. _Now, to see if there is some proper armor that would fit her. Hopefully something that will fit over what she is wearing, as that padded body armor here isn’t enough on its own, but would make for a great underlayer._  
  
Kebechet snuck up behind him, “Hey Rameses, what are you doing?” she asked, spying the dagger he’d set aside. She gave him a smirk, “Who is that for? Is that for _Silica_?”  
  
Rameses stiffened, “Skuggi! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” He barked at his Spriggan sister. His cheeks were bright red at the implication. “And it’s not like that!”  
  
Kebechet’s smirk only grew, “Oh really?”  
  
“Yes really!” Rameses hissed back.  
  
Kebechet began to giggle, “Right, Brother mine, riiiiight…”  
  
Rameses glared at her. “She goes out and shadows the patrols that are hunting for Youma, that’s what they call the Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu here,” he said. “And if she is, she’s going to need a proper weapon. She’s been using a knife when she’s fought them, _a knife_ , Skuggi. Yes, Pina is a great help for her there, and I am with her as well, but she needs something better than that. I’m also looking for armor, but I am _not_ going to help fit it to her.”  
  
Kebechet giggled happily. It looked like her brother had a crush! So cute!  
  
“Hey, Skuggi,” Rameses said. “You think you could help me find some armor for her? Not to mention help with the fitting?”  
  
 _Yeah. he’s got it bad and he doesn’t know it,_ Skuggi thought as she walked over and knelt down beside him. She considered what she knew of the girl. Silica wasn’t very big in the chest area, but with her age, she might grow out a bit more. So she needed something that would give her some room to grow…  
  
Kebechet studied the breastplate that she’d pulled out. It was clearly designed for smaller recruits. With the right padding, it would fit nicely, and it had plenty of room if Silica had a growth spurt, or simply developed in other ways. Unlikely, but she recalled one Cait Syth girl a year older than her who was as flat as a board until she managed to shoot up and out, quite remarkably so, in the last year.  
  
And Silica, for as petite as she was, wasn’t flat in the chest area once she was in more casual clothing, rather than the garb she wore while studying to be a priestess of the local religion under Rei, Princess Badb’s reincarnation.  
  
Rameses explained that she was studying to be a priestess for the local the local religion as a pretense and polite fiction to explain her constant presence here, but that didn’t mean that the lessons were fake. Hell, he had participated in some of the lessons, teaching both the Guardian and the girl some of the exercises he had to gain better control of his Fire Affinity, when he wasn’t tasked with helping maintain the shrine’s grounds.  
  
Exercises that he couldn’t do right now as his magic and body was _still_ recovering from what he did to himself. Princess Persephone may have healed the damage, but healing, especially magical healing, took it out of the one who was healed.  
  
But that didn’t mean that he was going to lie back and take it easy. He wouldn’t exert himself, Healer Tilnel would have his hide, and he respected Healers a great deal. And was intimidated by them. Or one to be specific.  
  
Healer Hakonia could put the fear of the Goddesses into anyone who aroused her ire, and Tilnel was trained by her. While she was definitely of a more pleasant personality, that knowledge would make Rameses be more polite to her. Though having seen how Hakonia was with her three daughters, Kebechet knew that her caustic personality and... refined way with words, was more for when she was on the job.  
  
Though her eldest, Marlena, was beginning to show a rebellious streak, if in an odd way. If Hakonia was the opposite of what many thought an Undine woman should be, Marlena was even more stereotypically an Undine. A demure and polite Undine girl, who had a will of steel inherited from her formidable mother.  
  
Just don’t get on her bad side. Demure an Undine woman was believed to be, but anyone who made the mistake of thinking that she was a wallflower or could be walked right over would be in for a rude surprise. And Marlena had her mother’s wit, if not her caustic personality. She got _creative_ when it came to making her displeasure clear.  
  
Hakonia had cursed her brother out in every major language of the Empire for three hours without repeating herself after that incident with the Sword Wraiths. Marlena simply gave him a disappointed look and said only a few words that cut to the quick when he got released from the Medical Center. She then proceeded to mother him in such a humiliating way that Kebechet knew _both_ of her mothers, biological and adoptive, would have sat back and taken notes.  
  
She really had to tell Silica about that, the girl would probably find it hilarious. And maybe be made a little jealous, though both Rameses and Marlena certainly didn’t have feelings for each other.  
  
Not that it would stop Silica from being jealous, despite it being something that happened a year ago, or a thousand, depending on how you looked at things. Silica seemed to be sweet on her brother, just as her brother was sweet on Silica.  
  
Not that either of them seemed to realize it.

* * *

  
  
**March 20, 2025: Kawagoe**  
  
Kirito turned to look at the light metal breastplate after he’d gotten all but his sword in order. He was going to need help making sure it fit properly. And while it would be nice if Asuna helped him, and as much personal fun as they had in VR, some proprieties did have to be observed in the real world. At least officially. That meant that she couldn’t help him. A shame.  
  
He knew that he could make the adjustments himself, he’d done it in a few times in SAO, but having someone there to help always made it easier.  
  
Kirito pulled the breastplate on and started making adjustments using the straps.  
  
He looked up when the door swung open. “Aki, you should have knocked…” he grumbled.  
  
Aki pulled the door closed. “We don’t have time for you to struggle with the fitting for an hour.” the older man said as he almost expertly pulled the straps so that the light metal armor fit perfectly.  
  
“Now I guess we’ll see if I’m strong enough to handle light metal armor or not.” Kirito gave his older brother a grin.  
  
“Indeed we will.” Aki agreed, grinning back.  
  
Kirito walked over to his computer chair, where one of his brand new Anneal Blades had been placed and picked it up, slinging it over one shoulder, securing the belt with the practiced ease that came from doing it for two years.  
  


* * *

****

  
“You’re looking rather smart in that, Kirito-kun,” Cerridwen said, eying her partner as he descended the stairs of his home. “I suppose Captain Heathcliff helped you?”  
  
“He did.” Kirito agreed.  
  
“You aren’t going to be using both Anneal Blades?” Cerridwen asked.  
  
“And kill myself when I accidentally use one of the Skills for _Dual Blades_?” Kirito snorted, “No thank you. Especially when using the weaker _Sword Skills_ for a single _Hand and a Half Sword_ still tires me enough to be dead to the world when we return.”  
  
“Considering that Rameses is still recovering from what he did to himself, Kirito-kun, that’s not funny,” Cerridwen said. “Fortunately, Silica is not planning to shadow a patrol, so we don’t have to worry about him insisting on going out, though Kebechet could probably back her up.” She giggled. “It’s so obvious that he’s sweet on her.”  
  
“I heard from somewhere that she walked in on him getting out of the shower,” Kirito said with a grin. “And I’m sorry for the bad joke, Hime, but that doesn’t make it any less true.” Kirito bowed deeply in a teasing manner.  
  
“My poor Consort,” Cerridwen purred, “Perhaps we can do something about that after we get back we… maybe play a little ALO?”  
  
Kirito blushed. “Insatiable nymph!” He muttered, following her out of the house. “We have work to do, if I may remind you…” He grumbled.  
  
“Of course,” Cerridwen said. “Business before pleasure. And we will have to field questions from Yui and Strea about when we will make them older sisters. Honestly, those girls.”  
  
“Not for _at least_ three years. Maybe more.” Kirito groaned in agreement. “We’re doing it properly for a reason.” A thought came to him. “By the way, has anyone straightened things out with your mother?”  
  
“Not yet, and I’m afraid that she won’t listen to _me_ …” Cerridwen sighed.  
  
“You won’t know if you don’t try, Hime.” Kirito told her.  
  
“Alright, I’ll try.”  
  
“Princess, Commander,” Kizmel said from where she was standing as a silent sentinel. “It is time for us to depart.”

* * *

  
  
**April 11, 2025: Kawagoe**  
  
Kirito growled, glaring into the mirror at the bright yellow tie that he was being forced to wear as part of his uniform.  
  
It wasn’t that he was being forced to wear a tie, he could deal with a tie. It was the fact that the tie was a bright, _really bright sunny yellow_. “I do _not_ look good in bright colors! Who the hell was in charge of coordinating the colors for this damned uniform?” He asked his supposedly empty room as he tried to tie his tie correctly. “I’d like to introduce them to Ashley!”  
  
As bad as the blazer was, with its whiteness and lines of light blue, it wasn’t quite _that_ bad. The jacket and pants were fine, seeing as they were black, it was mostly the tie that he wanted to use _Fireball_ on. OK, maybe he wanted to burn the blazer too… _Why did they have to choose white, light blue, and_ yellow _? I swear, whoever put this uniform together is fucking colorblind…_  
  
Ashley, for all that she liked making him into a living dress up doll every chance she got, varying gender of the clothing notwithstanding, she never forced him to wear bright colors, not without something that suitably offset it. Everything that woman put him in was quite tasteful, and looked good on him.  
  
Sighing in defeat, Kirito continued struggling to put the tie on correctly.  
  
There was a knock at the door, “Kirito-kun, are you decent in there?” Asuna’s voice called.  
  
“Yes, it’s safe to come in, Asuna-hime.” he replied, giving up one the tie. He turned as the door opened to face her.  
  
She gave him a critical once over. “Who was the idiot that designed this uniform?” she asked. “I’d like to punt their asses over to Ashley. So that we can get a proper uniform… You look terrible.” She said as she took his tie into her hands and fixed it for him.  
  
“You don’t look nearly as bad.” Kirito said, eying the red bow around her neck. “I wouldn’t be complaining nearly as much if the tie was red to match the bow on the girls’ uniforms…”  
  
“Red, white, and that shade of blue?” Asuna asked, “It’s still a bad combination.” She pointed out. “Now, if the blue was darker, like the shade the Americans use for their flag, then that would be a different matter.”  
  
He nodded. “You make everything look beautiful.” Kirito complimented.

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo: SAO Returnee School**  
  
The motorbike came to a halt outside the school, and the whole crowd milling around the gates turned to look. There was a pair of riders that were dismounting and pulling their helmets off.  
  
“Commander! Princess!” Rika called, waving from where she was standing with Nezha on one side and Ducker on the other.  
  
Asuna waved back after dropping her helmet into one of the bike’s saddlebags. “I’m going to go spend some time with Li-Rika-chan, Ki-Kazuto-kun.”  
  
“Go ahead,” Kirito replied, “I’m going to go put my bike away, and then I’ll join you.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “‘Kay.” she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and skipped over to where Rika was waiting.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito came to a stop and kicked his bike’s kickstand down once he’d gotten to his designated parking spot. When the hairs on the back of his neck rose, he reached for the small folding knife that his Grandfather had given him for Christmas last year. “Kikuoka-san.” he greeted when he caught sight of the man a moment later. “You do know that sneaking up on an SAO Survivor is a bad idea.”  
  
“You are so harsh with me, Kirigaya-kun.” Kikuoka said lightly, much too lightly for Kirito’s nerves.  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed, “You want to interview me again.” he said coolly. “You know that I’m not going to talk to you without someone to supervise.”  
  
“What are you afraid that I will ask?” Kikuoka asked.  
  
Kirito growled lowly. “No, comment.” He snapped back, pulling his and Asuna’s book bags out of the saddlebag they’d been placed in and locked his bike down. “You will not approach me again.” He said before heading to the school’s entrance.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Did something happen?” Asuna asked when he joined her by the gates.  
  
“Just Kikuoka-san trying to get answers out of me again,” Kirito sighed, “I’m going to have to call Aki the first chance I get.” He rubbed his face with a hand. “Would you like your bag?”

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Kebechet tugged at the top of the Shrine Maiden uniform that she was wearing. The white and red made her pale skin look even paler, not that if her skin was the normal dusky color that most Spriggans had would have been any better. She wasn’t about to complain, though. Princess Rei was being very nice, letting her and her brother stay in the Shrine, so the two of them dressing as if they belonged there made sense. She could deal with the bright white and red until something could be figured out.  
  
Perhaps Princess Rei would be kind enough to teach her and her brother the language. It would be nice to not need a translator.  
  
As amusing as watching her brother and Silica blush at each other was, it would be nice not to need her as a translator. Perhaps she could trick the younger girl into teaching Rameses.  
  
Getting her brother a girlfriend would be good for him.  
  


* * *

****

  
Rameses was sweeping the courtyard when the hair’s on the back of his neck stood up. He paused in the assigned chore and looked around. “Something is here…” he said to himself, not noticing the old man who had come to sit in front of the door leading into the shrine.  
  
“Rameses,” he heard from behind him  
  
He turned, “Oh, Princess Rei, was there something you needed?” he asked in Graelic, since the older woman couldn’t understand Lunarian in this life.  
  
“My Grandfather wishes to speak to you and your sister.” Rei replied, gesturing to the old man that he previously had not seen.  
  
“I don’t know how, but something about him seems… off,” Rameses said as he looked at the old man. What it was that he was sensing and how he was sensing it was beyond him.  
  
Rei looked at him. “I know what it is,” she said. “I’m… surprised that you can sense it, to be honest.”  
  
“So am I, Your Highness,” Rameses replied. “It feels almost like the… Youma.”  
  
“I take it you know of the Seven Great Youma?” Rei asked. If he didn’t, she’d need to explain what they were.  
  
“The what?” Rameses asked.  
  
“You haven’t, ok then.” Rei said, guiding Rameses over to where her grandfather was sitting. “The Seven Great Youma were the most powerful of those monsters.” She explained, “From what we were told, Queen Serenity sealed them into the seven shards of the Ginzouishou, which became the seven Rainbow Crystals. They were then reincarnated as humans along with the rest of us.”  
  
Rei’s grandfather nodded. How could he understand what Rei was saying? “It is indeed as my adorable Granddaughter has said.” the old man said, giving Rei a proud smile. “I was known as Jiji, and I expect you and your sister to also call me that.”  
  
“Why?” Rameses asked as the blood slowly began to drain from his face.  
  
Rei bopped him on the head. “None of that, Rameses. We are kind of… making fun of his name.”  
  
“How?” Rameses asked, turning to look at the reborn princess of Mars.  
  
Rei giggled. “Jiji means old man in Japanese.” She explained, “And what is my Grandfather but an old man?”  
  
Rameses blinked for a few moments before getting it. “You are also showing that you aren’t scared of who he could be forced to become under the right circumstances?”  
  
“Yes.” Rei agreed. “Besides which, he’s my Grandfather, even if the Generals took him and twisted him back into his Youma form, I really doubt that he’d hurt me.”  
  
“What I want all of you to do, in the case that that happens,” Jiji said, “Is to delay my leaving this Shrine until your Liege Lady gets here.”  
  
“Asuna, since she has the Ginzuishou, and I really need to get the story behind that. Well, she should be able to revert you back to human form.” Rei agreed. “If not that, at least be able to make it so you’re in control. And if we can’t, Grandfather?”  
  
Jiji met Rei’s eyes, “Do not stop them from killing me, I would rather not be used like that again.” He looked at Rameses. “I will make this request of your sister when I talk with her as well, but if it is necessary and I am a threat to everyone before anyone can even try to reverse it, please, do not hesitate and end me before I can harm anyone.”  
  
“Grandfather!” Rei protested.  
  
The old man gave Rei a sad smile. “Rei,” he said. “I know that you don’t want this, but everyone else’s safety is more important than one old man. And… I am asking others to do it so that you don’t have to. So please, Rei. If it comes to that, don’t stop them.” His look firmed. “Promise me, Rei.”  
  
“I-” Rei began when she choked up.  
  
“Promise me, Rei,” her grandfather insisted.  
  
“I- I promise _,”_ Rei said after a moment. “If it becomes necessary… I won’t stop them. _Damn you_ , I won’t.”

* * *

  
  
**April 20, 2025: Minato Ward**  
  
Kebechet smiled as she helped Silica adjust her new armor. “It actually feels good to be back in proper armor.” Silica said as the Spriggan girl pulled away. “I don’t feel so naked anymore.”  
  
The Spriggan laughed, “What were you doing in the Simulation?”  
  
“I was just on the line between a middie and a Front Line player.” Silica said proudly. “The Commander and Princess even took notice of my talent.”  
  
Pina chirped from Silica’s head, causing Silica to giggle. “Pina, you know the Princess is already engaged to be married!”  
  
Pina huffed, chirping again. [You know that’s not what I meant, Silica.] Pina turned her head to watch Rameses through the window, [This other chick on the other hand… he’s a nice strong male that would give you many strong young!]  
  
Silica blushed. “PINA!” she squeaked.  
  
Kebechet blinked in confusion. “What was she saying?”  
  
“Something about mating.” Silica replied, “And I’m not saying anything else!” Her cheeks were bright red.  
  
Kebechet looked out the window and grinned rather impishly. “I see…”  
  
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Kebechet,” Silica grumbled. “It’s not like that.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Senshi Mars eyed the three youths, “Now, I know you will be shadowing us, try not to get separated from each other, and try not to stray too far from where we are at any time, do you understand?”  
  
“Yes Mars.” The Spriggan and two humans replied after Silica finished translating the Japanese for them. She could have used both Japanese and Graelic, but with one who could translate for the others, she stuck with Japanese. All three of them were geared up and ready to go. Mars looked them over. She may not be able to tell if the armor was properly fitted to them, let alone whether everything was set up properly, but at least by doing this, she could verify that they at least had an idea of how to be properly equipped.  
  
That, and she felt that looking them over was the right thing to do.  
  
It was odd seeing Silica in armor. Mars knew that she had been wearing padded Kevlar beforehand, and she could see it still underneath the breastplate, probably for extra padding and protection. Over the pants she wore, simple denim jeans, she had coverings for her shins and knees that went to the practical sneakers she was wearing. Didn’t the girl mention that she wanted some good boots to wear, rather than sneakers? Mars shook that thought from her head, it didn’t matter if she was still looking for some, she understood checking clothing and accessories to make sure that they were appropriate and coordinated with everything, even if this situation was slightly different than going out to look good or even cute.  
  
Though it was hard to deny that the girl did look cute, even if she had the dagger that Rameses provided to replace the knife she had been relying on to this date belted at her waist. If she was trying to avoid a perception of being seen as cute, she was failing to do so.  
  
 _Heh, cute but deadly,_ Mars thought to herself as she saw the pouches where the girl had several ofuda, that Mars herself had made stashed as well. Even though the girl was here mostly to hide the fact that Pina, who was out of the illusion that made her look like a raven, was a dragon, Mars intended to teach the girl a number of skills regardless. Skills such as making ofuda. She had quickly realized that the girl had no talent for divination, though she still taught those skills. After all, even someone with no talent for it could learn enough to know what to look for at the very least, and it helped to know how proper divination worked.  
  
Rameses was wearing the armor he had arrived in, though she doubted that Cerridwen or Kirito would have said anything if he had taken some of the armor that had been sent with Persephone for himself. At the same time, she approved simply because it showed a practical bent to him in sticking with what he was familiar with. More padded cloth than metal, though she had no doubt that it was both synthetic and protective. Didn’t he mention that this was the same body armor that the civilian population on Aincrad that left the safer areas favored? Well, that and he didn’t see himself as a proper soldier under Kirito to begin with. He would listen to him and Cerridwen, but the young man thought of himself as a civilian.  
  
His sword was belted at his waist and she noted that his gun wasn’t present. Maybe he was carrying it in his hammerspace? And yes, she called it that. She had read enough manga to know the trope and was tempted to mention it to him, if only to see his and his sisters’ reactions.  
  
Speaking of sisters, Kebechet was in similar armor to her brother, with the only real difference between them being choice of weapons. While Rameses favored a sword with a straight blade, hers was curved, more like a saber than a katana. She wore a headband that hid her pointed ears, as she had dropped the illusion that made them look human to preserve her reserves of magic.  
  
Yes, the young woman could hold that illusion for hours with no strain, but the chaos of a fight against the Youma could cause the illusion to drop. No one was eager to see if the Spriggan’s armor would stop a bullet. It might, but better to not test it.  
  
The Police responded to a Youma presence by sending out armed officers, despite the general lack of effectiveness guns had against Youma. So why rely on an illusion when there was a simpler means available, especially with the Spriggan’s hair also helping hide that her ears were covered by a headband.  
  


* * *

****

  
The night had started out quiet, but it hadn’t stayed that way, unfortunately. Through no fault of their own, the three shadowing the DDA Patrol had been separated from the patrol in the confusion of the fighting with the Youma.  
  
“Rameses, we have another six coming our way!” Kebechet called out.  
  
“Well, that makes what, twenty-five?” Rameses asked rhetorically as he killed the last Youma of the group they were fighting. “I’m beginning to think that they have an issue with us.”  
  
“Backup’s on its way!” Silica said, putting her cellphone into a pouch and pulling out an ofuda. “Gee, I wonder what we could have done?” She asked sarcastically as she charged the ofuda with her magic and sent it flying toward a Youma, incinerating it.  
  
“Got lucky enough in finding a group within easy support range, is my guess,” Kebechet said as she threw out an ice spell. “ _Taktu það sem þú ræktir sýktum hórum!_ ” She turned to Silica. “You did make sure backup was on its way, right?”  
  
“Of course I did, just because we are too far from the ones we started shadowing doesn’t mean that they are the only Patrol in the area.” Silica said, “As long as we don’t get separated from each other we should be fine.”  
  
A sword cut through Kebechet’s ice spell.  
  
“Now, now, language young lady,” came a cool voice in Lunarian. “I have to say, you three have managed to do quite well so far. Now, why don’t we up the ante?”  
  
“Me and my big mouth…” Silica said in a resigned voice in her native Japanese when Jadeite was revealed out of the icy mist. “Of _course_. Fuck you, Murphy, fuck you sideways.” With a chainsaw was left unsaid.  
  
“ _Cennāgi, nāvu nāśavāgiddēve,_ ” Rameses said in Lunarian, getting into a defensive posture.  
  
“ _Skít,_ ” Kebechet said in Alvarin.  
  
“I’d say it’s time for us to bravely advance in the other direction.” Silica said as she backed up a step.  
  
Slowly, the three of them started to back up as Jadeite advanced on them. Silica had seen the Jadeite NPC in SAO, but it had nothing on what she was feeling from the real thing. A glance at Rameses and Kebechet showed her the fear in their eyes.  
  
“Silica, Skuggi, run,” Rameses said.  
  
Silica looked at him again and saw the set of his face. ”Rameses, you don’t stand a chance against him,” she said. “And you are not using that spell again. We’re all getting back, not just two of us.”  
  
“Are you crazy, brother? I’m not leaving!” Kebechet hissed.  
  
“We get back together, or not at all.” Silica agreed, emphasizing her point by firming her grip on her dagger and setting herself to attack. She glanced around and saw another group of Youma making its way to them. “Besides, we have more guests coming to the party.”  
  
Rameses looked where she was and nodded. “Yeah, you have a point,” he said. “Well, if we can’t leave the fun, then we might as well not be rude.”  
  


* * *

****

  
“Þeír sér lind ásynja, burt eimi og sverð!” Came the sound of a familiar, very welcome voice not five minutes later, and the two very tired humans and one tired Spriggan were covered in a shield of Shadow Magic.  
  
Silica smiled. “Commander!” She called. “Nice of you to stop by.”  
  
“I would have been here sooner, but some Youma decided that they wanted to get to know us better,” Kirito replied as he hopped down from the roof, the figure next to him following close behind.  
  
“It was a brief thing, but it slowed us down,” said his companion with a wry smile that was full of teeth.  
  
“Nice to know that you two have fans,” Rameses said drily. “Would you like to meet ours?”  
  
“No, those are stalkers, there’s a big difference.” Kirito’s eyes narrowed, “I’d say we’ve met before actually.”  
  
“Indeed we did,” Jadeite said. “And I see that you got yourself a new sword, as did your girlfriend. Did you already lose your other one? And armor as well. How was the shopping for it?”  
  
“Not as bad as you would think.” Kirito huffed, “You don’t recognize this blade?” He then asked conversationally, casually bringing up his Anneal Blade and readying a Sword Skill. “I’m surprised at you, Jadeite.”  
  
Light glinted off his companion’s sword.  
  
“Cerridwen, back them up,” Kirito said quietly, never taking his eyes off of Jadeite. “I have some things to discuss with this one. Rather... pointed things.”  
  
“Of course, but I’m going to cut in if it looks like you’re losing.” Cerridwen replied. “Or it looks like he’s good for another dance partner and those three have theirs well in hand.” She took a step towards the three as Rameses handed out Healing crystals.  
  
“Which is exactly what I’m expecting.” Kirito gave her a shark’s smile. His feet shifted and a moment later he was in Jadeite’s face.  
  
Jadeite deflected the sword, with more ease than Kirito would have liked. And in that moment, Kirito’s strategy changed. He was going to try what he had against Kunzite in SAO, make Jadeite expend more energy, and if possible, get him angry enough to start making mistakes. With his new strategy in mind, Kirito pulled a hand back, which then started to glow.  
  
Jadeite’s eyes narrowed. “What are you planning boy?”  
  
“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” Kirito asked with a smirk meant to anger the General. “As it is, you’re going to have to force it out of me.” He taunted.  
  
Jadeite sneered, “Then let’s see how long you last.” He lunged, his sword up in an overhanded strike.  
  
Kirito brought his own sword up to deflect Jadeite’s strike and pivoted out of the way, turning to face the man again. The two were soon trading strikes on their blades. Every move Kirito made was as economical as he could make them. As young and inexperienced as he was, SAO had removed most of the wasted movement. He still had more movement than he would have liked, but it was also better than it would have been before SAO had taken his lackluster interest in swordplay and made it a passion.  
  
Jadeite hit just as hard as Kunzite had during their first encounter. But Kirito was far more experienced with hard hitting opponents. He knew how to deflect and parry the blows. Not that it made it easier, far from it. Jadeite could use magic if he got the chance to, whereas Kunzite hadn’t been able to. Kirito really missed SAO’s Equalizing Factor.  
  
So, Kirito did his best to not give his opponent the time to do so. A simple calculation. If he could maintain the pressure, Jadeite couldn’t use magic. It would be a distraction. If he could maintain that pressure, though, was the question. There were only a few spells that he could use himself, and he hadn’t figured out how to use them when he was also using his sword.  
  
Something to work on later, when they didn’t have the end of the world hanging over their heads.  
  
Kirito debated with himself for a moment and then almost seemed to relax, bringing his sword into a Fool’s Guard. It was a calculated risk, another taunt at Jadeite. Bait for a trap. Leave an opening, which the opponent would recognize and exploit, and counter.  
  
Sadly, Jadeite didn’t fall for the bait.  
  
Jadeite was trying to make him attack. He recognized Kirito’s strategy, and knew that the best move was to force him to make the first move. A Fool’s Guard limited the directions an attack could come from.  
  
Kirito growled low in his throat but refused to budge. He could see what the Zombie wanted him to do, Fool’s Guard may be his preferred opening guard, but he also knew that Jadeite was the better swordsman. To attack the man was a suicidal move on his part.  
  
Now it was a battle of wills. Kirito knew that he _could_ use a spell, but something told him that that was _also_ a _Really Bad Idea_. With capital letters. He needed to stay put. He tensed slightly when he noticed that Jadeite was starting to get frustrated.  
  
Soon the Zombie would take the bait. Kirito was looking forward to it.  
  
Kirito could feel the tension in the air thickening as each moment passed.  
  


* * *

****

  
Cerridwen reached the three youths, who were busy engaging the Youma. Rameses and Kebechet were shooting spells at the Youma like magic was going out of style, while Silica handled the few who made it through the barrage of spellfire. She knew that it was a risky strategy for them, especially with the size of the fireballs that Rameses was throwing at the Youma, but she could understand why they were doing it. There were too many for just the three of them to fight head on, so thinning their ranks as they charged in was the name of the game.  
  
“Rameses, stop using that much power!” Kebechet shouted. “You’ll just wear yourself out faster!”  
  
“I’m trying, Skuggi!” Rameses shouted back. “This is as low as I can get it! What the hell happened?!”  
  
“Rameses, engage the Youma in hand-to-hand,” Cerridwen ordered, killing a Youma that tried to sneak up on her from behind. “Worry about your output later and be thankful that your performance issues are in the other direction right now. Too much, rather than too little or too soon.”  
  
Rameses stopped and shot her a look before shaking his head and drawing his sword before charging in to back Silica up.  
  
Cerridwen took a moment to check on Kirito, who was still waiting for Jadeite to make his move. So far, her Consort hadn’t needed any help, but that could change at any time. She wasn’t worried; her Consort was in his element, the only thing that kept him from being an actual, active threat to the Generals was his current physical condition.  
  
If he weren’t still trying to regain body mass from their two years in SAO, Cerridwen was sure that Kirito’s potential would be not far behind her Guardians in terms of magical power.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito’s left hand twitched, and part of him wanted to have his second Anneal Blade on him so that he could use both. But then there would be a real chance of him accidentally killing himself by trying to use a Skill like _Double Circular_ , or worse, trying to use _Starburst Stream_.  
  
He could not use those, not when _Horizontal_ and _Vertical_ left him feeling dead on his feet once their Patrols were finished for the day. It was only the Sleep Deprivation training that kept him going.  
  
Now, admittedly, he was starting to feel that he wasn’t getting as tired anymore, though it wasn’t by any significant amount. If only he could use his magic without putting his mind into fight or flight mode.  
  
ALO _was_ helping there, thankfully. But not enough.  
  
Jadeite’s eyes narrowed and Kirito tensed when he saw the man lift his sword high.  
  
Instead of parrying, Kirito sidestepped Jadeite completely and attacked low, slicing through the Zombie’s Achilles tendon. Then he pivoted out of the way of Jadeite’s sword and used his Anneal Blade to send the sword flying.  
  
By the time the clash was over, Kirito was breathing slightly harder, and Jadeite was on the ground, glaring up at him.  
  
“I will kill you, boy!” Jadeite hissed as he started to disappear.  
  
“I’d like to see you try.” Kirito shot back. “You go tell your leader that we are coming for them!” He snarled back.  
  
Jadeite’s glare became even more heated as he faded away completely.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom: Throne Room**  
  
Jadeite growled in pain as he limped into the throne room. That damned kid had gotten lucky, he wouldn’t be making that mistake again. His foot was useless now. He almost could not move it hurt so much. He was working through it, but only just.  
  
Unfortunately, he had no time to see a Healer before reporting to Queen Beryl. Hopefully the woman wouldn’t kill him, before _or_ after his report. Carefully, he knelt, more to get his weight off his useless foot more than to pay his respects to Queen Beryl.  
  
That a normal human had managed to force him to retreat was galling. The boy having awakened magic or not, the outcome of that fight should have been predetermined in his favor. He was one of the Shitennou, damn it!  
  
Yes, that boy was quite skilled for his age, more skilled than anyone his age had any right to be in this peaceful era. He also had experience, given that he had kept his impatient desire to decide the fight right then and there in check. Who taught him, and where did he gain that skill?  
  
The questions themselves were enough to make Jadeite mad with rage, and that was even before the fact that the kid beat him.  
  
“Report, Jadeite.” Queen Beryl said imperiously.  
  
“Queen Beryl.” Jadeite said, forcing himself to calm down. “I was forced to retreat.” He started.  
  
“WHAT?!” Queen Beryl screeched angrily.  
  
Jadeite hid his flinch. “It will not happen again.” He growled. “The kid is a normal human, magic or not, I should not have been beaten. He got lucky, my Queen.” Jadeite tried to appease the raging monarch. No such luck, he flattened himself to the floor to avoid the blast of magic that went over his head. When he looked up, his queen was panting deep and slow as she tried to regain her composure.  
  
“I will give you _one more chance_ , Jadeite.” She said when she had succeeded, “Do not fail me again.”  
  
“I will not fail you, Queen Beryl,” Jadeite bowed his head so deeply that it was touching the floor. ”The next time I meet that boy… _I will kill him_ …”  
  
“You are dismissed.” Queen Beryl said as she stood from her throne.  
  
Jadeite grimaced as he watched her leave.  
  


* * *

****

  
Queen Beryl stepped into the nearly empty storage room that housed their stores of Life Energy. She took one of the last dozen canisters that were left. “There is not much left…” She growled. Life Energy was still trickling in, but it wasn’t nearly as much as she really would have liked. “Queen Metallia needs more, a lot more Life Energy than what we have managed to collect.” Queen Beryl said as she exited the room and headed for the chamber where Queen Metallia slept.  
  
For all her anger at Jadeite for his recent failure, it was more borne from frustration, than any actual fury at him. Ever since Zoicite’s little plot to harvest energy failed, the energy gathered had become less and less. Jadeite had surmised that someone had worked out a way to awaken the magic in people on a large scale, and she didn’t find fault in that. The question, however, was how they were trained up enough to become such a thorn in their side so quickly.  
  
On top of that, they still hadn’t found the Ginzouishou, despite how long they had been searching for it. Queen Beryl had long since come to the conclusion that the Ginzouishou was with the Moon Princess, wherever that brat was. She was not really looking forward to her own meeting.  
  


* * *

  
The malevolent, formless being stirred from its sleep when the presence of one of its more powerful pawns made itself known in its presence. “Queen Beryl…” it hissed.  
  
“Queen Metallia,” its Pawn groveled, falling to her knees as she held up the pitiful, nearly empty canister of Life Energy, “I bring you this humble offering of Energy.”  
  
It reached out with a tendral of its being, taking the capsule of Life Energy from Its Pawn. “Bring me the Ginzouishou!” It screamed once the pitiful offering was consumed and It flung the vial back at Its Pawn so hard that Queen Beryl was forced to duck or lose her head. The vessel that had once contained Life Energy shattering against the wall. “It has returned and it is seeking its bearer. Bring it to me, Queen Beryl, and quickly.”  
  
“Yes, Queen Metallia.” Queen Beryl bowed her head low in deference at the dismissal and left the chamber.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Once they were safe within the grounds of the Hikawa Shrine and everyone was seated around the table in the room that the Senshi used for meetings, Kirito let his head land on the table with a soft thump. His breathing getting deeper as he struggled to control it.  
  
“You ok?” He heard his brother as from somewhere around the head of the table.  
  
He held up a finger as he got his breath back. When he felt as if he had more control, Kirito sat up straight and looked the man in the eyes. “Ran into Jadeite, got _lucky_. Again.” Was all he said.  
  
“Give us the After Action Report then.” Heathcliff said as Makoto came back from the kitchen with a heaping platter of snacks, setting it in the middle of the table. “Guardian Jupiter…”  
  
“From what I heard, they used a lot of magic, let them snack, we can work on our professional images later.” Makoto retorted. “Kirito looks about ready to keel over. So does Rameses. And the girls don’t look much better.”  
  
Heathcliff sighed. “Fine,” he said with an apparently resigned huff.  
  
Asuna pulled something out of her bag and waved it under Kirito’s nose. She giggled when he snatched it a moment later.  
  
Makoto gave Asuna a confused glace.  
  
“You’re good Rauni,” Asuna told Makoto, “But Kirito-kun likes my cooking better.”  
  
Makoto chuckled as she placed the platter on the table. She smiled as she watched the three youngest people present start grabbing snacks from the platter and wolf them down. “ _Þrír eru svangir_ ,” she said in amusement.  
  
Both Rameses and Kebechet looked up at her. Rameses shrugged and muttered something as he went back to eating, but Kebechet was staring at her with wide eyes. “ _Þú talar Alvarin?_ ” She asked.  
  
“ _Já ég get,_ ” Makoto replied.  
  
Kirito sighed when he finished, “I’m not sure how much magic I used tonight, but I’m going to count what I’m feeling means that it was ‘too much’.” He gave Makoto an amused look, “I thought you only knew English and Japanese.”  
  
“If Rei can speak her previous life’s native language because she is Badb’s reincarnation, then is it so hard that I can speak Rauni’s?” Makoto asked.  
  
“No,” Kirito said, “But you claimed not too long ago that you weren’t good with languages.” He pointed out.  
  
“I think Kirito-kun is more surprised that you actually spoke it, Rauni.” Asuna said, getting a nod from her Consort when she gave him a look. “It’s not that he didn’t believe you could speak it, more that he wasn’t expecting it.”  
  
“It is as Asuna-hime says.” Kirito said when Makoto turned her eyes on him.  
  
Makoto nodded, “Alright then.”  
  
Kebechet’s ear twitched when she again heard the name Rauni. Rameses put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head when she looked at him. “ _Bíddu bara systur,_ ” he said quietly.  
  
Kebechet gave her brother a pout. He knew how she felt about the Guardian of Jupiter. “Rameses…” she hissed back.  
  
By this time, Makoto was giving the pair of Aincrad residence a look of confusion. “What are the two of you muttering about?” She asked.  
  
Silica poked Rameses and whispered the translation into his ear, since Makoto had lapsed into Japanese.  
  
Rameses blinked at Silica for a moment before starting to chuckle and then laugh. “Hah!” He barked out. “ _Avaḷu Rauni abhimāni mattu ī-_ mmph!”  
  
Kebechet reached over and clamped a hand over her brother’s mouth as she glared at him. “ _Rameses, nīvu mucci hōdare, nānu nim'mannu ondu huḍugige tirugisalu mattu mundina kelavu tiṅgaḷugaḷinda ā rīti biṭṭu hōguttēne.”_  
  
Rameses paled. He’d already had to deal with that once, he didn’t want to go through that again, ever. “Skuggi…” he growled out, giving her a glare when Silica whacked both of them on the backs of their heads.  
  
“ _Adannu taḷḷibiḍi,_ ” the dragon tamer said as she bit into a pastry.  
  
Rameses sent his friend a pout.  
  
Kirito bit into the sandwich Asuna had given to him, which he had saved from the beginning. He stopped, looking down at it. He gave his fiancée a look of admiration. “You’ve managed to… You are amazing.”  
  
Asuna gave him a sunny smile. “I try.” She demurred, “And I haven’t figured it out completely, but I’m getting there.”  
  
“ _Nantara miḍi, nīvu eraḍu_ ,” Rameses said, only to get another swat from Silica.  
  
“ _Rameses_ , _hasiru uḍuge, biḷi hogeyannu mundina bāri,_ ” Asuna said.  
  
Kebechet covered her mouth to try and hide her laughter while Rameses sputtered and then just raised his hand in defeat.  
  
“If you are all finished recovering…” Heathcliff spoke up,  
  
Kirito sighed, putting his sandwich down. “Where would you like me to start?”  
  
“The run in with Jadeite, I think.” Heathcliff replied.  
  
Kirito nodded. “All right.” He looked between the residents of Aincrad and Silica for a moment as he opened his Mystic Tome, looking for the report he’d been sent from Schivata of the DDA. “Silica, translate for me so that Rameses and Kebechet can follow.” He ordered. Once he got her acknowledgement, he began.  
  
“Silica, Rameses, and Kebechet got separated from the Party led by Schivata that they were shadowing for the night when a large group of Youma made its presence known, though they kept in contact.” He started. “They engaged one of the flanking groups and were bogged down as more and more groups of Youma kept coming in to support the ones they were engaging and forcing them further from the assistance. Schivata’s group was similarly tied down in an engagement that had continuous reinforcements, preventing them from sending in support. The three of them were doing quite well, having accounted for close to twenty or so between them when they called in for backup as more groups were arriving.  
  
“That is, of course, when Jadeite made his appearance.” Kirito looked over the report and into Silica’s eyes. “You should know better than to tempt Murphy like that, Silica.”  
  
Silica ducked her head, “Yes sir,” she replied with an embarrassed blush.  
  
Kirito looked back down at the report. “She, Kebechet and Rameses got into a defensive formation and were trying to break contact when Cerridwen and I came onto the scene,” he continued. “Kebechet was using a shield spell of some kind that made use of Shadow Magic when I attacked and drew the Youma attention from them. I had Cerridwen support them while I engaged Jadeite.” He looked at Heathcliff. “Aki, don’t say I shouldn’t have. You know why I did it and you would have done the same. And for the same reasons.”  
  
Heathcliff nodded. “Foolish as what you did was, I can’t criticize it,” he said and motioned for his brother to continue.  
  
“Anyway,” Kirito looked back to the report. “I engaged Jadeite, using the same strategy that I utilized when the thirteenth floor of SAO was the front. It worked better than when I fought Kunzite that one time, though I didn’t get an advantage against Jadeite.”  
  
“Wait, you fought _Kunzite_ in SAO?” Makoto asked. “Uranus tangled with him once and it took her almost a month to fully recover from the injuries he gave her. He would have killed her had Pluto and Neptune not intervened.”  
  
“Fought him, and later killed him, though that time I took his head off from behind,” Kirito said. “Don’t count on me to pull that off again. That was in SAO, where things were a bit more equalized. Out here?” He shrugged. “I know my chances against Jadeite, and I won’t protest if someone takes him out when he’s focused on me, but I _will_ do my damned best to kill him.” He almost snarled.  
  
Makoto stared at him in shock.  
  
Kirito was about to get back to his report, when Mars burst into the room, looking around frantically. “Are they okay?!” She asked.  
  
“Well, I would say that they are, Guardian Mars,” Kirito said in amusement.  
  
Mars shot Kirito and irritated look before eyes finally fell on her three guests. When she saw the three were safe, she relaxed.  
  
Kirito gave Mars a smirk before turning back to his report. “Where was I? Oh, right.” He looked back at his brother. “Jadeite.” He took a deep breath. “I fought Jadeite as defensively as possible. And I only attacked when I was given an opening. Eventually, I managed to wound him when I slashed his leg. I may have severed his Achilles’ Tendon, but don’t quote me on that. Afterward, he withdrew and seemed quite irate with me.”  
  
Silica snorted. “Didn’t he threaten to kill you next time?” she asked in Japanese. “So yes, I think he was a little irate with you.” She turned to Rameses and Kebechet and translated what she just said. The two residents of Aincrad just laughed.  
  
“ _Nāvu Silica, innū nim'minda obba Aincrad annu tayārisuttēve_ ,” Rameses said jokingly.  
  
Kirito sent Silica a look, “I thought that was obvious.” He turned his eyes on Rameses next, “As for being turned into natives, Need I remind you that we spent two years in a _Simulation of Aincrad_? I’d say we are all rather close to considering ourselves as such, especially since we haven’t had time to come down from that mindset.”  
  
Rameses looked thoughtful as Silica finished translating what Kirito had said. Then the boy shrugged, letting Kirito have the point. Because they all actually did have habits that a resident of Aincrad like himself or his sister had to varying degrees.  
  
“Back on topic.” Heathcliff reprimanded softly.  
  
Kirito cleared his throat, “As I was saying, while I was fighting Jadeite, Cerridwen went to aid Rameses, Kebechet and Silica. I noticed that Rameses seemed to be having trouble focusing his magical output, in the direction of using too much magic rather than too little or the magic going off too soon.” Kirito looked up at his brother. “I think it has to do with what I’ve called the ‘ _Persephone Incident_ ’.”  
  
“I remember that report, yes.” Heathcliff agreed with a not. “I suppose we should be happy that he is using too much.”  
  
“It’s still bad for him,” Kirito’s eyes narrowed. “…Aki… would playing ALO help him get his control back?” He asked his older brother.  
  
“Hm…” Heathcliff looked thoughtful. “Perhaps it’s something we could try.” He agreed. “At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt.”  
  
“Are we finished?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I believe so.” Heathcliff agreed.  
  
Kirito blinked when a Notification appeared in front of him. Not saying anything, he tapped the glowing Notification. “What is…?” His eyes got wider and wider as he read more of the memo. “Aki, you _need_ to see this!”


	20. Conducting Training, Dates, and Construction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Silver Army's Base is finally under construction, Kirito gets to see his fiancee in what he gave her for white day, and training gets done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gohan means rice and so does akki.
> 
> I think this has been the chapter with the fewest translations needed... That's kind of nice actually.

**April 24, 2025; Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito pulled at his black jacket, careful not to make any creases. Asuna had loved his White Day gift, even if it hadn’t actually been white. The only problem was, she had not even tried it on. He wasn’t worried that it wouldn’t fit her, he’d gotten it from Ashley, and she knew both his and Asuna’s measurements.  
  
She just hadn’t worn his gift yet. It made him kind of nervous.  
  
Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen his mother or sister either for at least the last hour. “Dad, have you seen Mom or Sugu?”  
  
“Not since breakfast.” Minetaka replied, not looking up from his paper. “And that was two hours ago.”  
  
Kirito swallowed, “That just makes me even more nervous…” He muttered.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna pulled at the pink underskirt with white stars along the bottom to make sure that it fell correctly. She looked into the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure that it wasn’t tucked into her tights or panties.  
  
“This looks really expensive…” Suguha said as she examined the top that went with the layered skirt. “How much did Onii-chan pay to have this made?”  
  
“According to what Kirito-kun told me when he gave me this on White Day,” Asuna replied, “He tracked down Ashley, our Tailor from SAO, and got her help. He didn’t say how much he spent.”  
  
“Well, he certainly knows what you look good in.” Midori said with a smile as she picked up the second layer of the skirt to help Asuna into it.  
  
“He does indeed.” Asuna agreed as the red skirt slid on over her head. The skirt had a strip of white along the bottom, just above a strip of red. Along the strip of white, there were white flowers and stars, and every so often, there was an angular design. “He put at least as much effort into this gift as I put into the chocolate I gave him on Valentine’s Day.” She tugged at the skirt to make sure it fell correctly.  
  
“Why haven’t you worn this before now then?” Suguha asked, turning to look at Asuna.  
  
“Because this outfit is special,” Asuna explained, looking away from Suguha to where the _Wind Fleuret_ was leaning against Suguha’s computer desk. “In the same way that that Rapier is.”  
  
Suguha and Midori traded a knowing look. Asuna treated everything she got from Kazuto the same way.  
  
“You’ve got it bad, Nee-chan.” Suguha giggled.  
  
“I fail to see how that’s a bad thing, Sugu.” Asuna replied flatly. “He is to be my Consort. Besides which, he’s my best friend, why wouldn’t I value everything he gives me?”  
  
Midori chuckled, “Well, I’m glad you pulled Kazu out of the rut he’d fallen into.” She carefully picked up the sheer red see through over skirt. “This layer feels really delicate.”  
  
“It does, but Ki-Kazuto-kun,” Asuna corrected herself, “Assured me that the material is very durable. He got Ashley’s help, and she maxed the _Tailoring Skill_ when we were all still trapped in SAO. Our skills came with us.” She explained.  
  
“Well… that explains that thing that I’ve seen you working on then.” Suguha said.  
  
“I was hoping to recreate something that I’d given him in game.” Asuna shrugged. “I’ve been working on it off and on, especially since school started.”  
  
Suguha picked up the long sleeved top that had come with the skirt and handed it to Asuna. “We’ll need to get a picture of you and Onii-chan before you leave.”  
  
Asuna blushed lightly and she carefully pulled on the red, white, and pink ribbon and un clipped the clips holding the pink and red lined, white long sleeved shirt whose sleeves ending with a red strip of cloth, decorated the same was the bottom of her second skirt layer was.  
  
Pulling it on, Asuna stepped back to where she could see herself in the mirror and started to close the shirt. After a few moments of struggling with the ribbon, Asuna gave up. “Honored mother, can you help me with this?” she asked.  
  
Midori stepped forward, “The ribbons and Obi can be the hardest part, and it’s always easier to have someone help.” The Kirigaya Matriarch commented as she expertly tied the ribbon and tucked it back in place. “There.”  
  
“She’s not done yet! There’s still one thing missing!” Suguha said, holding up the thin black headband with a round ornament with a flower, hanging from the ornament was a trio of tiny bells.  
  
Asuna took the headband and put it on. She smiled at the mirror before turning to the box and pulling out the shoes that had come with the dress.  
  
The shoes were mostly white with red flowers on it with seems of red.  
  
Asuna turned to Midori and Suguha. “How do I look?” she asked nervously.  
  
Midori had her phone out and was taking a picture. “You look fine.” the woman reassured her son’s fiancée.  
  
Asuna gave the woman a smile as she headed for the door to Suguha’s room.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Kirito-kun.” His head snapped up and he suddenly felt as if he could not breathe.  
  
There she was, his _Princess_ , in the dress he’d worked so hard on, the matching shoes in one hand as she descended the stairs.  
  
When she got to the bottom of the stairs, he bowed to her, deeply.  
  
He swallowed, his mouth suddenly as dry as a Venusian dessert. “You look lovely.” He said as he stood back up straight.  
  
His _Princess_ blushed very prettily as she did a little twirl, allowing him to see his creation in its entirety. “Thank you.” She said, “You look quite spiffy yourself.”  
  
“I thank you.” Kirito said, his own cheeks going red.  
  
“So,” His _Princess_ said as she moved to the doorway and put her shoes down, slipping her feet into them, “Where are we going for this date?”  
  
His plan? Had he had a plan for this date? Kirito couldn’t remember.  
  
At a nudge to his side, Kirito looked up to see his father holding out a pair of movie tickets.  
  
Ah, right. _That was the plan_. Lunch, movie, and then possibly dinner. He could do that. He palmed the tickets and offered his arm to His _Princess_. “Ready to go?” He asked.  
  
“Yes,” His _Princess_ agreed. “Where are we going?”  
  
“That’s a surprise.” Kirito said with a grin.

* * *

  
  
**Tokyo Mall**  
  
Asuna snuggled into Kirito’s side happily. “Lunch was great, thanks Kirito-kun,”  
  
“I’d hoped you would like it.” Kirito gave her a grin. “I’ve got movie tickets.”  
  
Asuna’s eyes went wide, “What are we going to see?” She asked excitedly.  
  
“Something good.” Kirito said with a shrug, then he started to guide his fiancée towards the movie theater. ’ _I hope anyway…_ ’

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rameses waved the smoke away as another control exercise blew up in his face as he tried to reduce the amount of magic that he was trying to control. It was aggravating, especially since he had no problem with controlling more magic. But the moment he tried to reduce the amount he was channeling, the magic destabilized, often with explosive results.  
  
Nothing that would damage the room, or him for that matter, but it was embarrassing.  
  
And to think, most people had problems with controlling more magic, not less. He did when he was first learning. Why was he having so much trouble with these exercises? These used to be so easy, and they were tailored to how much magic he could safely control while slowly increasing his reserves and getting him used to the strain of using magic.  
  
While… oh, right. He didn’t need to worry about increasing his reserves and ability to handle the strain of using magic. His problem wasn’t having enough magic to begin with, but was from the opposite direction. Maybe if he did one of the more advanced control exercises and worked his way down from there…  
  
What was the next exercise? He could not quite remember. All that he knew was that it used more magic than he had been able to comfortably use before, so its name hadn’t been all that important to him. Now he was regretting not paying more attention to the names of the different exercises.  
  
Not to mention how they were supposed to be done. At this rate, he would be better served doing chores and working on learning the local language, or languages, however many there may be in this area.  
  
In any case, he was not going to be making many strides with his magic for a while. Perhaps he should go bug Silica about the language issue. Even back before the Empire fell, learning languages was still a matter of learning and using it. They may have had tools to help with that, but one still had to put in the effort  
  
He gave up on getting his magic back under control, for the moment, and went to find his friend.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kebechet was playing around with some small balls of Shadow magic and was juggling them. It was always a fun exercise. It was also the next control exercise that Rameses needed to learn. The sound of a muffled explosion made her catch the magic and look toward the room Rameses was practicing his control exercises in.  
  
Perhaps, after he got his magic back under control.  
  
She resumed her exercise and added a few balls of water magic after a few moments. All you were supposed to do was move them in any direction you wanted. Using more than one type of magic made the exercise a bit harder.  
  
Kebechet looked up when the door opened.  
  
“Skuggi?” it was Rameses.  
  
“Yes brother, what is it?” Kebechet asked curiously, the balls of magic coming to slow orbits above her head.  
  
“Have you seen Silica?” he asked, his cheeks going red.  
  
“I believe she’s with Princess Rei conducting another lesson.” Kebechet said after a moment of thought, a teasing grin on her face.  
  
“Skuggi!” Rameses hissed angrily.  
  
“What? I can’t be amused by the way you interact with this girl?” Kebechet asked, “I’ll come with you.”  
  
Rameses grumbled to himself as he turned away and they left the room.  
  


* * *

****

  
They found Rei and Silica outside, watching as Jiji tore some middle aged man a new one over… something.  
  
“Princess Rei, who is that?” Kebechet asked in a whisper that didn’t carry past the four of them.  
  
“That’s my father,” Rei said, her glare not leaving the man. “I haven’t spoken to him in years. I have no intention of starting now.”  
  
“Did something happen?” Rameses asked.  
  
“He’s… a workaholic is the politest way to say it, I think.” Rei explained, her voice cold. “He was never at home. And I don’t know why he’s here now.” When she finally turned to look at Rameses and Kebechet she blinked in surprise.  
  
The Spriggan girl had six balls of magic floating around her head. Three of them were the dusky gray that indicated the Spriggan’s shadow magic, but three of them were a light blue.  
  
“How are you-?” She asked.  
  
Kebechet grinned. “I also have a talent for Water Magic to go with my Shadow Magic,” She said smugly.  
  
 _Two affinities?_ Rei thought in shock as her grandfather sent her father away from the shrine.  
  


* * *

****

  
“So, what do you have in mind?” Rei asked in Graelic.  
  
Rameses looked at the ration packs and the spices that had been sent and thought for a moment. “Hey Skuggi, you have the normal load out?” He asked.  
  
“Yeah, what of it?” His sister asked.  
  
“What do you usually prefer?” He asked.  
  
She gave him a questioning look.  
  
“I was thinking giving them something from home to eat,” Rameses said. “Well, as close as we can with ration packs and local ingredients.” He looked around and repeated what he said in Lunarian.  
  
Asuna perked up, “I’ve been experimenting,” She told him, “If you need help, just ask me. I’ve figured out a few mixes that make good substitutes. I love to cook.”  
  
“I might take you up on that at a later time, Your Highness,” Rameses said.  
  
“Please don’t call me that.” Asuna almost pouted.  
  
“Of course, Your Highness,” Rameses replied.  
  
Asuna then got a glint in her eye. “Kizmel, grab him,” she said. “If he’s going to cook, he will need to be in the proper garb.”  
  
“Certainly, Asuna,” Kizmel said from behind Rameses.  
  
Rameses started and then looked behind him. “Where did you come from?!”  
  
“I have always been here,” the dark elf said with a perfectly straight face. “Now, young Rameses, if you will come with me. Her Highness wants you to be properly ‘dressed’.”  
  
“You as well, Kizmel,” Asuna said, heading for the door. “You know how I prefer to be referred as. I’m thinking a nice dark purple with gold accents for you.”  
  
”Of course, Asuna,” Kizmel said as she firmly grabbed Rameses’ arm.  
  
Kirito wisely kept his mouth shut tight, he didn’t really want to get dragged into whatever it was that was going through his fiancée’s mind.  
  
“Hey now!” Rameses protested. “This isn’t- leggo!” He shot Kirito a beseeching look.  
  
Kirito silently shook his head, no matter how amusing he found this, he dared not laugh. Then again, Silica and Kebechet were handling that role nicely. There was no way he was going to bring Asuna’s attention to himself when she was in this kind of mood. A glance at Rei saw her shake her head.  
  
“If this keeps happening, people are going to think he likes dressing like a girl,” the Miko said.  
  
“Why do you think I kept my mouth shut?” Kirito asked her, his shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter as his huge cat brushed against his leg.  
  
Ēkate looked up at him and meowed in confusion before bumping his hip and laying down, rolling onto his back, demanding belly rubs.  
  
Pina leapt off Silica’s shoulder and followed them. She wanted to know what was going on.  
  
Kirito chuckled softly and knelt to obey. Silly ‘cat.  
  


* * *

****

  
_At least she didn’t put me in those stilts that she calls shoes_ , Rameses thought as he looked at what he was working with in the kitchen. _Then again, Rei would wear both of our guts as garters if she did that inside._ He felt fur rub against his legs, the feeling transmitting through the white stockings that Asuna had managed to force him into. Rājakumāri then jumped onto the counter and looked at him.  
  
“Just thinking about what I will prepare, Rājakumāri,” he said, idly reaching out and petting her. He looked over the ration packs he had taken out and opened them up. He knew how to mix and match from several along with whatever he could gather for variety due to his own experiences working with others while checking Aincrad’s biomes. He didn’t have everything he could use to make a proper meal for in the camp. Well, he did, but things were always better with what could be gathered while out in the field, most of which were in Aincrad. But with local ingredients to act as substitutes, he could figure something out.  
  
Improvisation in one’s cooking was such a useful skill. He’d have to get the Princess to show him what she’d figured out so far. At the very least, he would be able to tell her if any of the ideas she came up with in the Simulation would work in reality.  
  
Of course, she could also have meant that she was figuring out substitutes for Aincrad’s Spices. He could not be sure. He put the seasonings from the packets off to the side, he would use the spices that were sent instead. But he wouldn’t waste what came with the ration packs, though he already was resolving to avoid what everyone familiar with Gnome-made ration packs, including the Gnomes themselves, called the three lies for the price of one.  
  
Rājakumāri purred as she nudged a packet of spices. She meowed demandingly, her tail pointing to some of the packaged meat. He glanced at the spices and then at the package and nodded.  
  
Might as well keep it simple. Frenzy Boar was always good, and with the spices that Rājakumāri nudged, ground narakada pepper, it would have some bite. And with the _gohan_ that they used as their version of akki, it would serve as a nice buffer for the heat. He would only need a pinch of the pepper, though. None of them showed any indication for the kind of desire for more that a Salamander would, and he had no need to prove his manliness, current garb notwithstanding.  
  
No doubt she would also want some of the meat for herself, minus the spices. Rājakumāri really liked Frenzy Boar and it wasn’t something she got to have very often. Usually it was fish that he caught while in the field or some highly processed meats that he knew better than to ask where they came from. Frenzy Boar had to be hunted, and he stopped trying after the third time he got treed without climbing one.  
  
Those ration packs were popular. He would have counted himself lucky that even one was sent, and three had been. Even better, it was one that was designed for a camp kitchen to feed a small group, meaning that it was mean to be properly cooked and would taste better for it.  
  
The individual version was nice enough and could be eaten cold. But it just wasn’t the same as a properly done meal. The flameless heaters that came with those also never seemed to cook the food right.  
  
He had work to get done, better put his mind to it.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kizmel helped Rameses carry dinner into room, Rājakumāri leading the two in and looking smug as only a ‘cat could. Kirito and Asuna both perked up at the smell, while Silica firmly held Pina, her quiet admonitions for the feathered dragon to wait audible to the two.  
  
“Hey bro, looking pretty, aren’t you?” Kebechet asked with a snicker. “And with your cooking, I’m sure you would make a good wife for someone. Maybe Si- mmph!”  
  
“Now, now, Kebechet, let them work it out for themselves,” Asuna said with a smile as she glanced at a furiously blushing Silica and withdrew her hand from Kebechet’s mouth.  
  
“Thank you, Asuna,” Rameses said as he started placing platters on the table.  
  
“But who would take what role?” Kirito wondered as he looked from Silica to Rameses.  
  
“We’ll have to wait and see.” Asuna replied with a giggle.  
  
Rameses pouted at them all.  
  
“So, Asuna, where did you get that beautiful dress?” Rei asked once all the platters had been set on the table and everyone had sat down.  
  
“This?” Asuna blushed, “It’s new.”  
  
“But where did you get it?” Rei pushed.  
  
“It was a gift actually.” Asuna admitted, her eyes trailing to the young man sitting next to her.  
  
One of Rei’s eyebrows went up. “Oh?” She grinned as she turned her attention to Kirito. “Did you buy that for her?” She inquired.  
  
Kirito looked her dead in the eye, “I created it for White Day.” he replied.  
  
“You made that?” Rei asked, sounding impressed.  
  
“I designed it,” Kirito corrected, looking rather proud of himself. “And then I bribed Ashley into helping me.” He admitted shamelessly.  
  
“You mean you agreed to be her living dress up doll for a few hours.” Asuna corrected.  
  
“So what if I did?” Kirito grumbled blushing in embarrassment. “You didn’t tell mom or Sugu, did you?”  
  
Asuna giggled, “No, I didn’t. Don’t worry about it too much.”  
  
Kirito sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna sampled the Frenzy Boar Meat, her eyes widening in surprise. “It tastes almost _exactly the same_ …” she said to herself.  
  
Kirito looked thoughtful, “It does. And your sandwich, now that I think about it.” He agreed.  
  
“Moira must have helped with the Taste Engine…” Asuna mused.  
  
“I would not be surprised.” Kirito muttered, turning to look at the corner. “Are you going to join us or not, Guardian Pluto?” He asked pleasantly.  
  
Setsuna stepped out of the corner with a pout on her face. “Aww, you keep finding me…”  
  
“I told you that you wouldn’t be able to hide from my _Hypersense_ ,” Kirito reminded her.  
  
“Enough,” Asuna called, “Moira, take a seat and join us for dinner.”  
  
“Of course, Your Highness.” Setsuna bowed before taking the open seat next to Rei.  
  
Rei looked at Kirito, “I’ve been meaning to ask how you do that.” she said.  
  
“ _Hypersense_ ,” Kirito explained, “Is the evolution of the _Outside System Skill_ called _System Awareness_. Towards the end of SAO, almost everyone had developed some form of it.”  
  
“Did you need to have a certain skill to pick it up?” Rei asked.  
  
“No,” Kirito shook his head after swallowing another bite. “Though you developed the skill faster if you had either or both _Search_ and _Hiding_ skills. Those that play ALO will start to eventually do the same.”  
  
“How long do you think it will take then?” Rei asked.  
  
“We all developed it because we were trapped and forced to play SAO for two years straight.” Asuna took up the explanation. “But it will depend on how long and how often they play ALO. As well as what skills they intend to use. Though I really doubt that they will develop the skill unless they have the said skills.”  
  
Her curiosity sated, Rei let the topic drop. She took a bite of the food prepared and nodded. It was quite good.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom: Infirmary**  
  
Jadeite hissed as the Healer set his foot into a hard cast. “So, how long until I can be discharged?” he asked.  
  
“Your opponent completely severed the Achilles Tendon in your ankle, that's tricky to heal. Even with magic.” the Youma replied.  
  
Jadeite growled angrily. “That damned kid…” He muttered angrily. He was mindful of not to attack the Healer, because doing so was not smart, no matter who or what the Healer was.  
  
This also meant that he was going to be off his feet for who knows how long. Possibly too long. Queen Beryl was getting impatient. And so was he for that matter.  
  
What was there that he could do from here though? He was sure there was something. He could… No. It was better to bide his time, to heal and to kill the kid the next time they fought, if they ever clashed again, that is. Perhaps he should stop by the library for something on strategy, the way the kid fought felt… familiar in some way.  
  
“You are free to leave, but you need to stay off that foot for at least two weeks.” The Healer told him.  
  
“Of course, I was planning to head to the library anyway.” Jadeite teleported out of the room.  
  


* * *

****

  
Jadeite looked through the titles of the history books that he’d pulled from the shelves. “That boy’s stance…” He muttered, finally choosing a history of Saturn Fighting Styles and opening it. “I’ve seen that stance before, but where?”  
  
His memory had more holes than actual information, but something about the way that kid had fought bothered him. For one, the style didn’t look very modern. He didn’t know what it was that bothered him about it, but Jadeite was sure that he’d know what it was when he found what he was looking for.  
  
Sword styles reflected the eras they were developed in, and that boy’s fighting style was designed with magic in mind, whether actively casting or simply using it as a means of improving striking power and personal defensibility, in mind. Fighting with magic was an ancient art that had been lost! So, where had he learned it?  
  
It came to him then, Zoicite’s failed attempt at harvesting the life energy of ten thousand people. Sword Art Online. He remembered seeing the advertisements for it, and thinking on it, the setting bore a surprising resemblance to…  
  
Oh, so _that’s_ how they did it. He had been wondering how so many people with awakened magic and the skills needed to fight the Youma had appeared so suddenly. It seemed like someone was reincarnated and decided to help the Senshi in their own way. But who would have been reincarnated? Something to think on later.  
  
Also, given how well that boy had managed in fighting him, despite the luck involved there, he had an idea of just who had killed Kunzite. Not that he would mention that little tidbit to Zoicite. That boy was _his_ to kill, not that melodramatic twit’s.

* * *

  
  
**April 27: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rei watched as Rameses began to lose control of his magic as he tried to reduce the amount he was channeling and was about to intervene in cancelling it out when he cut the flow of magic and managed to bleed it off enough for the rest to dissipate naturally.  
  
She nodded to herself as she continued to watch. If he was able to do that, then he was making progress in regaining his control. Even if the slow progress was clearly frustratingly slow for him, not that she could blame the young man.  
  
When she had awakened as Sailor Mars, her power had skyrocketed. The majority of it may have been tied with her Senshi transformation, but even without it, she had become a lot stronger magically. So she knew how frustrating gaining proper control of one’s magic _back_ could be.  
  
She blinked in surprise when a practice sword landed at Rameses’ feet.  
  
“You are getting frustrated, so let’s do something else for a while.” Rei turned and saw that it was Kirito. “Your control will get worse the more frustrated you get.”  
  
Rameses blinked as Silica finished translating and nodded. He knelt and picked up the practice sword and tested its balance.  
  
Kirito smirked as he slid into a starting stance. “Let’s get started,” he said. “Come at me.”  
  
Rameses’ eyes narrowed as his stance firmed. He flicked the sword up, the flat of it facing him before slashing it down to the side and then getting into a stance. Kirito repeated the motion and got into his own stance.  
  
“Rameses is using a standard Kēndra stance while the Commander is using his preferred Fool’s Guard.” Silica said as she walked up, giving the two an attentive look.  
  
Rei turned to her student. “What do you mean?” She asked.  
  
“Rameses took a stance that leaves the fewest openings,” Silica explained. “If you were to look at him from the front, you would see that the blade is angled across his body and positioned to move either up or down in response to the Commander’s attack.”  
  
“Silica, if you could start us off please?” Kirito called after she’d finished speaking to Rei.  
  
“Commander,” Silica acknowledged. “Set, Match!” She called.  
  
Rameses sprang forward. To Rei’s surprise, rather than him attacking high due to Kirito’s low guard, his attack came in low and angled up. Kirito’s blade encountered his and forced it upward, though Rei saw that the attack almost connected.  
  
“Interesting,” Silica said almost clinically. “He didn’t go for the obvious openings but instead is trying to attack in a way that even if the Commander defended, it would angle the attack into him. Not that it worked, of course.”  
  
Kirito and Rameses separated, taking a moment to study the other. Kirito’s eyes narrowed calculatingly. There was a blur of motion and a loud crack. A moment later, Kirito was holding both practice swords and Rameses was on the ground.  
  
Kirito smiled and helped Rameses up, “Not bad.” He handed the practice sword back to the younger boy. “Again.”  
  
Rameses nodded and got back into a stance.

* * *

  
  
**April 30: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Agil looked around his new basement kitchen proudly. The official construction was finished. All that was needed was to rearrange upstairs and add more places to sit. Now that this was finished, the _real_ work could begin.  
  
That meant that he had to put the finishing touches on the blueprints for the Sub basements that were meant to be the Headquarters for Asuna’s army. The blueprints for the Infirmary needed to be looked over by Tilnel, she’d know if he’d laid things out correctly.  
  
The Barracks layout had been hammered out, including the Commander’s Quarters.  
  
The conference room where the Guild Leaders would meet still needed a little tweaking, as did the lecture hall esque hall that would play venue to the smaller Raid Meetings  
  
And then there was the room that would eventually hold the Teleport Gate, should they get that broken Beacon fixed well enough to make it work.  
  
They had a lot of work to do.


	21. Practice and Duels to the Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic practice, sword duels, and the death of the first Shitennou.

**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rameses coughed as his magic exploded in his face, again. “What am I doing wrong?” He asked himself, looking down at the scorch marks on his hands. At least the explosions didn’t actually hurt him or anyone else.  
  
Perhaps he should try just shaping his magic differently? Taking a deep breath, Rameses summoned his magic again, gathering in into a mass floating above his hands. Slowly, he divided the mass of magic in half, and then in half again. At the same time, he infused the magic with his elemental affinity.  
  
Before long, he had eight different balls of fire floating about him.  
  
It was a more advanced exercise, not only in creating balls of magic, but also infusing them with his primary elemental affinity at the same time. Direct control of the magic while actively channeling and maintaining it, rather than the normal case of bringing it up and shaping and guiding it.  
  
Each division halved the power of each ball of magic, but required far more control. At the same time, the amount of magic he was trying to control never changed. The last time he had attempted the exercise, three years ago, he had been capable of only doing four balls of fire like this before he lost control of the magic.  
  
On a good day. When everything was going right, the stars were all aligned and Aincrad’s own perversity allowed it. And then you had a stampede of Ragout Rabbits causing chaos on the floor you were on, which would then spiral out of control when they managed to run over and knock out an elder dragon, scattering whatever it decided would look nice and wanted to collect and it wakes up and is now angry.  
  
That had been a _fun_ month on the sixtieth floor, requiring every team familiar with Aincrad’s biomes, half the Tamers, three militias, and an entire regiment of the Royal Guard to get things back under control. He turned his musing from that and began to do a few tricks that he remembered Skuggi doing when she did similar exercises, albeit far more slowly and without the natural ease she always seemed to have.  
  
After a few minutes, he slowly recombined the balls of fire and cut his affinity, returning the balls of fire to being a singular mass of magic before he drew it back into himself. When he finished, he grew thoughtful.  
  
The last time, he had only done one-half the number of balls of magical fire, and each one had been with less magic than the individual balls of fire he had just done. Not to mention that the total amount of magic used back then was _far_ less. He knew that he had grown stronger with magic in the three years since, he did use it, after all. But by _that_ much?  
  
Granted, the implants that had were standard helped with regulating magic and with control, but he had burned out two of them not too long ago when he… oh.  
  
“Of course,” he muttered. “I burned out two implants and the others are probably not in good shape, either. And after channeling _that_ much magic and surviving it, I would be stronger.”  
  
Yay?  
  
He couldn’t wait to show Skuggi! Maybe now he wouldn’t be playing catch up so much.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Hey Skuggi! I figured out what I was doing wrong!” Rameses called as he entered the room that they were sharing.  
  
Kebechet looked up from the language primer that Kizmel had given her. “And what’s that, Rameses?” She asked, sounding bored out of her mind.  
  
Rameses blinked. “Something the matter Skuggi?”  
  
“Silica’s native language is _really_ confusing.” Kebechet grumbled, gesturing to the workbook she’d been using to study. “My head hurts now. So anything to get away from that.”  
  
Rameses gave her an amused look before repeating the exercise he’d managed to do.  
  
“Nice, Rameses! It's about time you were able to do that!” Kebechet said with a smile.  
  
Rameses pouted. “You don't have to be so mean…”  
  
Kebechet hugged her brother. “Now it's your turn to deal with this headache.” She said, shoving the workbook into his hands. Then she got up and left him there blinking in confusion. What was her problem? It wasn’t as if learning a new language was a new experience for either of them.  
  
Twenty minutes later, he closed the workbook and put it aside. Goddesses that thing was dry! And the way it presented the language was… lacking. He had learned Lunarian and Alvarin by using them. Yes, there had been instruction, but if he and his sister had someone with them who could explain things, not to mention work with them on learning the language through immersion, they would probably have less confusion with regards to the material.  
  
Perhaps he should track down Silica and see if she had some time, not to mention bring up the failings of the material provided. She had learned Lunarian in the simulation, so he wanted to see if how she learned it was via the same method.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kenshin stopped on the way to the living room when he heard sounds coming from the Dojo.  
  
“What's going on in there?” He wondered to himself as he followed the sound.  
  
When he got to the door, he opened it slightly to listen.  
  
“I know that the Shinai is a poor substitute for a fencing foil, but it will have to do, for the moment.” He heard his grandson say.  
  
“And it’s not as if I have never used one, so I’m familiar with the way its weight is distributed.” His grandson’s fiancée, Asuna agreed, “Still, we need to practice and not just use the Youma, because we are going to be clashing with the Generals too.”  
  
“Getting Jadeite’s attention was _not_ the best idea I’ve ever had…” Kazuto agreed. “But what else could we have done? The point is to keep your status a secret as long as possible. Making you fight the Generals is counterintuitive to that.”  
  
“I quite agree,” Her tone had Kenshin opening the door a little more so that he could see them both. “But I wouldn’t be able to match them either, since we are all struggling to regain the body mass that we lost due to how we were trapped.”  
  
Kazuto’s back was to him, but he could see Asuna’s expression. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were slightly slumped. “I don’t know enough to--”  
  
Kazuto silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. “Asuna-hime, this is _why_ Aki built SAO and ALO in the first place. You and the other Guardians can only be in so many places at once. You _can’t_ do everything, and nor should you be expected to.” He said tenderly, “Any burden becomes lighter when it is shared. You taught me that yourself. Let me do what is needed.” He pulled his hand away and made her look up into his eyes. “Now, let’s get to work.”  
  
Asuna smiled gratefully. “How is it that you always know what to say to make me feel better?” She asked as she took the Shinai.  
  
Kenshin entered the room silently and sat to one side to watch. He had no doubt that Kazuto knew he was there. And although he was slightly disappointed that he could no longer sneak up on the boy, It was better that Kazuto had the ability.  
  
Kazuto pulled out a second Shinai for himself from the barrel they were kept in and gave it a few test swings. “This one will do.” He said.  
  
“You aren’t going to use two?” Asuna asked teasingly.  
  
“Maybe a bit later, so that I don’t get out of practice, but being able to use both doesn’t help when even the weakest _Sword Skill_ for the _Dual Blades_ skill tree uses more magic than I can safely channel at the moment.” Kazuto gave her a smirk. His whole demeanor changed in a single moment, and Kenshin recognised the teacher that his Grandson had somehow become. “Are you ready?”  
  
“Whenever you are, I suppose, Kirito-sensei.” Asuna said with a teasing smile before becoming more serious, sinking into a Fencer’s guard.  
  
Kenshin’s eyes narrowed as Kazuto sank into a guard of his own. “Come at me then.” He called.  
  
Asuna shifted, and with a speed that Kenshin could barely follow, she lunged at Kazuto.  
  
His Grandson brought his Shinai up and met hers in a block before he deflected her practice blade to one side with the grace that only someone with more experience than he’d expected to see the boy exhibit and step to one side. He brought his hand up as Asuna stumbled past him and gave the small of her back a light push, causing her to almost lose her balance.  
  
Asuna stumbled a few steps before getting her balance back and turning to face him. “It’s been a while since we last sparred,” she said conversationally. “I’d forgotten just how scary that face is…”  
  
“That’s because I’m taking you seriously.” Kazuto said in the same tone she’d used. “You are not my fiancée or my good friend at the moment. You are both my opponent and my student and I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t treat you as such. The Generals, the Zombie of Beryl, whoever it is that is behind them, they won’t go easy on us. They will not ask if you want to fight. And they won’t fight fair.”  
  
Asuna grimaced. “I understand.” She said, “These blades are our lives, and we should treat them with the respect they deserve.”  
  
“Come at me.” Kazuto ordered, and Asuna obeyed.  
  


* * *

****

  
“And stop.” Kazuto called twenty minutes later. “That’s enough for the moment. We’ll take a short break, and then we are going to move on to the Spear and Dual Blades.”  
  
“Do we even have a quarterstaff that I can use?” Asuna asked as she slowly sank to the warm wooden floor of the Dojo, her breath coming slow and deep. “You stamina freak…” She muttered when she saw that Kazuto wasn’t even out of breath.  
  
Kazuto gave her a sunny smile as he turned to the duffle that Kenshin had sat down next to. “Grandfather.” He greeted with a bow before kneeling and unzipping the duffle.  
  
“Where was this passion when you were younger?” Kenshin asked curiously.  
  
Kazuto sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “I think I was just too young to… understand where you were coming from when I was younger.” He explained. “It wasn’t… Why were you harder on me than Sugu?”  
  
“Because you are her older brother.” Kenshin replied seriously. “Kendo, and Kenjutsu require discipline, something that you lacked at the time. What happened?”  
  
“It wasn’t fun.” Kazuto said. “And at the time, I just didn’t really see the point.” He shrugged. “I was more interested in electronics. Who knew all it would take to turn a lackluster interest into a passion was a _game_?” Kazuto shook his head as he pulled out two plastic bottles of water and stood back up. “Of course, you’re going to pick anything up really fast if you are fighting for your life.”  
  
“That’s true,” Kenshin agreed.  
  
Kazuto returned to his fiancée’s side and pulled her back to her feet, handing her one of the bottles. She opened it and took a long pull from it. “That feels better.” She leaned against Kazuto for a moment. “This is hard work.”  
  
“But worth it.” Kazuto agreed.  
  
Asuna nodded, her eyes widening only slightly when she saw Kenshin sitting there. “Honored Grandfather.” She greeted formally, bowing deeply to him. “How long have you been here?”  
  
“Since before you started.” Kenshin said with a soft smile. “You are both better than I was expecting you to be.”  
  
Asuna chuckled as she and Kazuto sat down with him. “You either got really good with the weapon you chose to wield in SAO, or you died.” She explained. “So we got as good as we were able.”  
  
“That would change the learning curve.” Kenshin agreed with a soft laugh. “Kazuto, what’s this about using two?” He asked, turning to the boy sitting next to him.  
  
“Let us rest for a few minutes, and I’ll show you, Grandfather.” Kazuto said as he stretched. “So, Asuna-hime, what did you make for our snack?”  
  
Asuna gave Kazuto a grin as she pulled a Bento box out of the duffle. “Let’s see, shall we?” she asked as she pulled the top box off the bottom one, revealing a few unfamiliar sandwiches. Then she opened the top box, revealing some Onigiri to go with them.  
  
Kazuto’s eyes narrowed, “Have you been playing around in the kitchen again?” he asked curiously.  
  
“I have, and I think I’ve found more substitutes to use for the spices we are missing from Aincrad.” Asuna said with a grin, “Of course, having actual Aincrad Spices to do comparisons against makes getting it right easier.”  
  
“Of course.” Kazuto agreed as he picked up one of the Onigiri and took a bite. After swallowing he nodded, “Yes, you got it.” he complimented, taking a second bite.  
  
“I’m trying to see if I can recreate the Black Bread from Tolbana.” Asuna said as she took one for herself.  
  
“Would you like one, Grandfather?” Kazuto asked, offering up the box.  
  
“Thank you Kazuto, I was going to make myself a snack when your practice caught my attention.” Kenshin said, taking one and sampling it. “This is good.”  
  
“My Asuna-hime was the best cook in all of SAO.” Kazuto boasted.  
  
“I’m not that good, Kirito-kun!” Asuna protested, a blush painting itself across her cheeks.  
  
“Says Miss ‘I completed the Cooking Skill’.” Kazuto shot back. “And that was after you complained about how boring it was with how simplified cooking was.”  
  
Kenshin blinked in confusion. “What?”  
  
“In order to prepare the ingredients,” Asuna started, “You had to point a butter knife at them. Stick everything into a pot and then put it in the oven for five minutes. It didn’t matter what it was I was cooking, that was how it was done. It took all the fun out of it.” She was pouting by the end of her explanation.  
  
“My Asuna-hime loves to cook.” Kazuto finished.  
  
“I can tell.” Kenshin rolled his eyes. “So, how did you meet?”  
  
“Kazuto saved my life.” Asuna said bluntly.  
  
Kenshin looked to the boy sitting between them and gave him a raised eyebrow.  
  
Kazuto blushed. “Her rapier had just broken and it was the last one she’d been carrying. She was mentally exhausted from being in the Dungeon for going on five days straight with little to no sleep.” He shrugged. “After the last of the monsters had been destroyed, she passed out. I dragged her back to the only Safe Zone and stayed with her until she woke up again.”  
  
“This sounds like it could be out of a fairy tale.” Kenshin said blandly.  
  
Kauto shrugged, “Maybe, but this is how it happened.” He replied. “When I found out that she didn’t have any more weapons, I gave her this.” Kazuto pulled an elegant rapier out of the duffle bag, “I didn’t have the skill needed to use it so I didn’t need it.”  
  
“I ended up following him back to town, and the rest is history.” Asuna finished. “We haven’t been apart at all, not until we beat the game.”  
  
“May I?” Kenshi asked, “I may not be a fencer, but I can tell when a sword is well made.”  
  
Kazuto gave Asuna a questioning look but handed it over when Asuna nodded.  
  
“This is an interesting blade.” Kenshin murmured, “I don’t recognise what it’s made from, but the blade is properly balanced, the alignment is good and the edge is nice and sharp.” He looked to Asuna, “You could get in trouble for having this.”  
  
“We know, Aki is working to get us the permits we need.” Kazuto leaned back on his hands. “We are forced to work in a grey area, and we don’t like it.”  
  
Kenshin sheathed the rapier in its scabbard and handed it back.  
  
Kazuto took it and placed it back in the duffle.  
  
“What about you, Kazuto?” Kenshin asked. “What did you use?”  
  
“I used a Hand and a Half sword.” Kazuto replied. “And I can use two at the same time.”  
  
“That is supposed to be impossible.” Kenshin commented after a moment of thought. “Those weapons were designed to be used with two hands, I would think.”  
  
“Not impossible, just incredibly hard.” Kazuto replied. “I’m glad I learned in a game. I cut off my left and right hands so many times when I first started training the skill…” He looked to the clock on the wall. “Well, break’s over, you’ll get to see what I mean.” Kazuto said as he pushed himself to his feet.  
  
Asuna whimpered, “Slave driver…” she grumbled, getting up herself as Kazuto pulled a second Shinai from the barrel.  
  
He tested the Shinai and nodded. “Alright, Asuna, are you ready?”  
  
Asuna picked up the Quarterstaff and gave it a few twirls. “Yes, I think so.” She replied.  
  
Kirito looked down at his two practice blades. “Asuna, sharing magic is all about intent, there are no words to say. All you need, is to want to share.”  
  
“Kirito-kun… what is this about?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Just in case I accidentally use a Dual Blades Sword Skill.” Kazuto replied with a shrug.  
  
Asuna paled. “Ok,” she agreed in a small voice.  
  
“Enough, let us begin.” Kazuto said sharply.  
  
Asuna shifted, “I’ll tap you if it looks like you’re going to do something.”  
  
“Shall I come to you this time then?” His grandson smirked, shifting into a stance that Kenshin had never seen before. Seeing it made the old man twitch. The stance needed a great deal of refinement if his Grandson was going to make full use of it.  
  
After a long moment of silence, both Kazuto and Asuna exploded into action, an almost elegant but deadly dance punctuated by sharp cracks as the wooden staff came in contact with one or both of the Shinai Kazuto was using.  
  
Asuna went for a leg sweep before suddenly breaking off and smacking Kazuto’s shoulder hard with the tip of her staff.  
  
Kenshin hadn’t noticed at first, but the Shinai suddenly became much clearer to the eye.  
  
“Thank you.” Kazuto said, not letting up his attacks.  
  
“I don’t want you to accidentally kill yourself.” Asuna shot back as Kazuto locked one practice blade with her staff and used the other to disarm her.  
  
Asuna took a single step back as one of Kazuto’s blades came to a stop under her chin.  
  
“Do you yield?” Kazuto asked seriously.  
  
Asuna took a deep breath. “I yield.” She agreed.  
  
“You lasted several minutes longer than the last time we practiced.” Kazuto complimented as he let his arm drop.  
  
“How come you always seem to beat me?” She almost whined. “I haven’t even been able to bring it to a draw yet!” Asuna crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. Her cheeks filling with air.  
  
Kazuto chuckled. “You are improving you know.”  
  
“Some days it doesn’t feel like it.” Asuna replied.  
  
“That’s how I feel whenever I’m sparring with Aki.” Kazuto grumbled. “Then again, he’s the professional I guess.” He walked over to the barrel as returned one of the two Shinai he’d been using to its place. “So Grandfather, would you like for us to demonstrate anything for you before we put all the equipment away?” He asked, turning to Kenshin.  
  
“What are these… Sword Skills you keep talking about?” Kenshin asked.  
  
Kirito blinked, “Sword Skills?” He repeated.  
  
Kenshin nodded. “Please show me.”  
  
Kazuto turned to Asuna, “Do you want to or should I?”  
  
Asuna gave Kenshin a thoughtful look. “How about we both do it, since the Skills depend on the weapon used?”  
  
Kazuto nodded, “Yes, I think that would be best.” He agreed.  
  
“I guess then, the question is who should go first?” Asuna asked as she set her quarterstaff in the corner where they’d been keeping it, next to the barrel of Shinai.  
  
“I will. Savage Fulcrum, I think, since I can now handle a three-hit Skill.” Kazuto said, “What about you?”  
  
“Quadruple Pain.” Asuna answered, “I’m having trouble hitting the same place, but it should be fine for a demonstration.”  
  
Kazuto nodded and stepped into the middle of the Dojo floor. “Let us begin then.” He said, holding his shinai in his right hand at his waist. Kazuto’s eyes narrowed and dark grey flames sprang up and engulfed the Shinai. Kazuto twisted to the right and drew a horizontal strike; he rotated the Shinai by ninety degrees and performed a vertical slash from bottom to top. Finally, he unleashed a full-powered vertical slash from top to bottom. In his wake was the figure of an Arabic number four, glowing in dark grey.  
  
Kazuto then flourished the Shinai and sank to his knees, breathing deeply. “Damn that still takes a lot.” He grumbled. “And I still need to perfect it using my left hand…”  
  
“Perhaps you should go sit by Honored Grandfather.” Asuna teased.  
  
Kazuto rolled his eyes at her before going to sit down.  
  
Asuna took his place in the middle of the floor. She took a deep breath and switched her grip on the Shinai she was holding. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as her Shinai lit up with white fire. She thrust straight forward by first holding the rapier in front of the body and then putting in a twist from there. Her whole arm became a blur of movement, the tip of her Shinai thrusting at the same place several times. Asuna growled as she finished, “Damn it! I did it again!” Her cheeks puffed out, “That last strike was just slightly out of alignment!”  
  
“You’ll get it,” Kazuto told her. “Now come sit down.”  
  
Asuna gave out a gust of a sigh as she put the Shinai away. “I was so sure that I was going to get it right this time!”  
  
“Asuna,” Kazuto took her hand, “We don’t have anything to guide our movement here. Of course we are going to have trouble.”  
  
“That doesn’t make me feel any better though…” She pouted unhappily.  
  
“You’ll get it soon.” Kazuto told her. “I’m working with less here. I wish I only had to worry about accuracy the way you do.”  
  
“Ok fine, you’ve proven your point.” Asuna let Kazuto lean into her side. “I feel better now.”  
  
Kenshin stared at the two youngsters for a moment. “The two of you will be joining Suguha and I in the mornings from now on.”  
  
“Yes Grandfather.” The both agreed.

* * *

  
  
**May 1,2025: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Silica looked up from setting up her new _AmuSphere_ in the room she was staying in. “Come in.” She called, setting the console down and turning when the door opened. “Oh, Rameses, did you need something?”  
  
Rameses look unsure for a moment before his expression firmed. “Well, I was wondering what you are up to,” he said. He pointed at the AmuSphere “And what is that?”  
  
“This?” Silica asked, holding up the visor for confirmation. “This is called the AmuSphere. It’s a device that allows me to interact with the Simulation of Alfheim. It is the successor of the NerveGear which is what we used to play SAO.”  
  
Rameses blinked. “There’s a simulation of Alfheim too?”  
  
Silica nodded. “It’s called Alfheim Online,” she replied. “The people who play it abbreviate it to ALO.”  
  
“Why?” Rameses asked, not able to think of any other question. “Why not just call it by name?”  
  
Silica shrugged. She knew that it was abbreviated, she didn’t know why. Maybe it was because the game’s title was in English? They did tend to use that language, or at least its writing system of _romanji_ , for the titles of games. And other things as well. The Americans had an influence on Japanese culture since the Second World War, after all.  
  
“Would you like to try it?” She asked. “I’ve not been playing long, but I’ve had fun with it. I was advised that I should choose the Race that matches my Affinity. Something about the spells being easier to learn that way.” Not that she wouldn’t set up an alt to play as a different race later, but they needed to take out the Dark Kingdom first.  
  
Not that she minded how she looked as a Salamander overly much.  
  
“How does it work?” Rameses asked. How did the simulation of Aincrad work, for that matter?  
  
Silica thought it over. She didn’t know the details of the mechanics, not even close. She only knew it worked. “It allows you to interface with the simulation with your mind,” she said. “As for how that works…” She shrugged. “I wasn’t all that concerned with the details. It works, and that’s fine by me.”  
  
Rameses nodded, accepting that. “It does sound interesting,” he admitted. “And didn’t the Commander bring up that it might help me with controlling my magic?”  
  
“I thought you had that in hand,” Silica replied.  
  
“I am making progress,” Rameses explained. “I can start with larger amounts of magic and reduce it from there to a point. It’s starting with _less_ from the beginning that is still giving me problems.”  
  
Silica nodded in understanding. “Hang on,” she said, opening her Mystic Tome. Rameses was taller than she was, about as tall at the Commander was, actually. She selected the Commander’s name and wrote a short note before sending it. “There we go. You can’t use mine, it’s calibrated to my body, which is smaller than yours and female. So, if you want to try it, we need to wait for-” Silica stopped speaking when she got Notification that there was a Message she needed to read. She tapped the icon, which opened the message and took a moment to read it.  
  
“Huh, looks like the Commander was a step ahead of me there,” she said idly. “He and the Captain are on their way over with two AmuSpheres. One for you and one for Kebechet.”  
  
“How long until they get here then?” Rameses asked curiously.  
  
Silica was about to answer when Rei knocked on the doorway. “Silica, would you happen to know why Captain Heathcliff and Commander Kirito are here?”  
  
“They are here to deliver something for Rameses and Kebechet.” Silica replied with a smile.  
  
Rei blinked. “They are waiting outside.”  
  
Silica grabbed Rameses hand, “Let’s go Rameses!” She pulled him out of the room.  
  
“Hey, Silica, leggo!”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito had to hide a smile behind a hand. “Is there something you want to say, Silica?” he asked in amusement as he took one of the boxes from his brother.  
  
Silica blinked, looking down at her hand. She blushed when she realised that she was holding Rameses hand and dropped it, looking away from the taller boy with a slight blush. “Th-there’s nothing going on, Commander!” She squawked.  
  
Rameses was already looking anywhere but at her, though he did shoot Kirito a flat look.  
  
“Sure Silica, whatever you say.” Kirito said, amused sarcasm dripping from his voice. He held the box out for Rameses. “Here, Rameses. This one is for you. Have Silica help you.”  
  
Rameses took the box, covered with symbols that held no meaning to him, since he couldn’t read Japanese yet. “Um, Captain?”  
  
“Yes?” Captain Heathcliff answered, looking down at the redhead.  
  
“How did you teach everyone Lunarian?” Rameses asked.  
  
“There were Primers that I placed in several places on each floor, why?” The man asked.  
  
“Perhaps you should show him what you used to teach us, Captain.” Kirito said, nudging the man.  
  
Heathcliff gave Kirito a thoughtful nod. He pulled something out of one of his pockets and fiddled with it for a moment. “Here.” He said, holding the thing out for Rameses to take.  
  
Rameses looked it over. “Huh, so that’s how that phrase is supposed to be used,” he said. “And you have it in different writing systems as well. I don’t know your language, but it looks like guides on the pronunciation of the Lunarian, and the meanings as well as examples?” He handed it back to Heathcliff. “This is a lot better than those workbooks you gave for me and Skuggi to go over. Less dry for one.”  
  
Captain Heathcliff gave him a speculative look. “I’ll see about restructuring the Primers for you then.” He said, taking back what he’d given Rameses to look at and slipping it back into his pocket. He hadn’t thought to do it the way he had in SAO, or the way he’d done it with Alvarin in ALO, for the Aincrad inhabitants. Why hadn’t he thought of doing that in the first place?  
  
“Where is your sister?” Kirito asked after Heathcliff had gone silent.  
  
“I’m not sure.” Rameses replied, looking thoughtful.  
  
“I’m right here.” Kebechet said from right behind him, causing Rameses to almost jump out of his skin.  
  
“Skuggi! How many times have I told you not to do that?” Rameses snapped at his older sister as he turned to glare at her.  
  
“One more than the last time,” Kebechet replied with a smirk.  
  
“Then why won’t you stop?” He asked. “I hate it when you do that, and you _know it_!”  
  
“Because your reaction is very amusing.” She replied with a grin. “What do you have for me?” she asked, turning her attention to Kirito.  
  
“This.” Kirito replied, handing the second box to her. “Have Silica help you set it up, since you can’t understand Japanese yet.”  
  
“Sure,” Kebechet agreed, taking the box.  
  


* * *

****

  
Set up was kind of confusing, but Silica’s explanations made it easier, Calibration was kind of embarrassing, but it wasn’t actually that bad, especially since Silica had turned away.  
  
Making his profile actually hadn’t been as hard as he’d thought it would be, since Heathcliff seems to have gone in and added Alvarin and Lunarian to the list of Languages that were available to choose from.  
  
“Rameses, Kebechet,” Silica said from the bed.  
  
“Yes, Silica?” Rameses asked.  
  
“The words you need to say to activate the AmuSphere are ‘Link Start’.” Silica explained, pronouncing the strange words slowly, carefully and clearly. “Perhaps you should repeat that phrase several times to make sure you can say it properly.” She nodded to Kebechet. “You should too.” She said.  
  
Kebechet and Rameses both nodded, parroting the phrase several times to make sure they could say it properly.  
  
“It is recommended that you create characters of the Race of your affinities.” Silica continued, So Rameses should roll a Salamander and Kebechet should roll a Spriggan… you also have a talent for water magic, right?”  
  
Kebechet nodded.  
  
“Then you may want to create an Undine Alt, because it is easier to learn the magic if you playing that race. At least when online. How it works out here is different, I think.”  
  
“Noted.” Kebechet agreed.  
  
“Then let’s get started.” Silica smiled, “Kebechet, Rameses and I will meet you in Arun, at the center of the map. Rameses, I'll see you in Gattan.”  
  
“See you then.” Kebechet slipped the visor on her head, “Link Start.” She calls slowly, before going limp.  
  
Silica gave Rameses a nod and put her _AmuSphere_ on. “Link Start!”  
  
Rameses sighed and did the same.

* * *

  
  
**Alfheim Online: Gattan**  
  
Rameses looked around as a holographic keyboard appeared in front of him. He chose to play as a male, no way was he checking if they would allow him to play as a female player. Living as a girl for two months was _more_ than enough, thank you. For his name, he decided to just use his real name.  
  
After the keyboard disappeared, he looked up as nine different Avatars appeared in front of him. “Silica said to go with the Race that matched my primary magic, that means I should go with… Salamander.”  
  
He selected the red Salamander and confirmed his choice. Then he fell forward, the image of Gattan, that he'd only ever seen in books, pics and the occasional vid before coming up to meet him at dizzying speeds.  
  
He flipped himself over as he got closer to the ground and prepared to land. As his feet touched the ground, he bent his knees to absorb the impact before straightening himself and taking a look around.  
  
He had to admit, he was impressed. This was much more realistic than he expected, given the limitations to Earth’s technology that he had seen so far. Then again, Heathcliff was the one credited with inventing this technology, and from what he was told, it was pure technology, no merging magic with it involved.  
  
He then heard Silica’s voice call his name and turned to look where it came from. He saw a Salamander girl at about Silica’s height and apparent age walking toward him. Her red hair was allowed to fall freely, rather than the way Silica had it tied into two tails on the sides of her head, and her eyes were purple instead of brown. She was also slightly more muscled, but the way she moved was similar to how his friend did.  
  
“Silica?” He asked.

* * *

  
  
**Uruna**  
  
Skuggað walked around the city, taking in the sights. When she had logged in and created her character, choosing the race and name was simple for her. She was a Spriggan, so she would “play” as one. The name was also easy for her. She simply used the name she had been born with, rather than the name she was given when she had been adopted.  
  
She had no problem with using that name, Kebechet Soulfire was as much her name as Skuggað Ljós Næturvalla was. _Hmm, might want to see if Kizmel and Tilnel are up for a prank on everyone,_ she mused. _Their family name means the same as my old one does, so we can get away with calling each other cousin for laughs. Need to make sure Rameses doesn’t explain the joke though_.  
  
She looked around, half with some nostalgia, and half with disappointment. Her memories of Uruna may be hazy due to it having been a decade since she last saw it, but the created nature of the simulated city was very apparent to her. While she could see some stalls with merchants selling wares from where she stood, there should be more. The plaza was cleaner than she remembered, without the small bits of litter that having thousands of people wandering over it would leave. The lack of tech, magical or otherwise, was also apparent. It was also far less crowded. Uruna wasn’t a large city but it had boasted a population of over three million when she went with her parents to Aincrad to meet with her older brother as he completed his Royal Guard training.  
  
And then everything went to Tartarus with the invasion. She had watched her parents die, even as the pressure of the panicked flight of the crowd pulled her away from the attack, and there had been no sight of her biological older brother alive since as well.  
  
Perhaps it hadn’t been the wisest idea for her to do this. Or maybe she should have gone with doing an Undine character. She had never been to Terun, so the dissonance of what she was seeing when compared to her memories wouldn’t have been as apparent. Oh, the artificiality would still be obvious to her; she was born on Alfheim, after all. But her memories wouldn’t clash with what she is seeing.  
  
Oh well, she still had to meet up with Rameses and Silica in Arun. She had only been to that city once, when she and her parents were going to the starport to go to Aincrad, so it shouldn’t be too bad. _I wonder how different that place is from my memories._  
  
She popped her wings and took to the air. Arun was located more or less in the center of the real Alfheim back then, and if the map on the back of that box was any indication, it was the same here.  
  
She wondered how long it would take. There was no way this place was as big as the real Alfheim.  
  
As she flew off, she missed a pair of Spriggans, a man and a young girl, walking down the street. Not that she would have paid much mind to them unless she had heard them talking about how the city wasn’t what the older one remembered but he would give RECT some credit where it was due. It was somewhat like what the city he was born and grew up in had been. She would have stopped if she overheard him muse if there was a version of the large house that Næturvalla Family had called home.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya**  
  
“So, you are going to be joining us tonight, Captain?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I figured I should go out once and awhile.” His older brother replied. “Especially since Grandfather has decided that you should join him and Sugu in the mornings.”  
  
Kirito groaned, “I just hope that he’s not going to want to spar with me,” He grumbled. “Then that would be two people against whom would clean my clock…”  
  
Cerridwen giggled at him, “Welcome to my world then.”  
  
Kirito looked at her through narrowed eyes, “Be thankful that we are on Patrol. Cerridwen, because them’s fighting words!”  
  
“Oh no, woe is me, for I hath attracted your wrath, Kirito-kun.” She shot back, her voice dripping with false concern.  
  
Heathcliff sighed as he put his face in his hands, “Don’t wander too far…” He warned, not even trying to get them to act professionally. They were still technically children, and so far they had conducted themselves rather well.  
  
Kirito shot his older brother a thankful look before growling playfully at their Princess. “I’d run if I were you.”  
  
“Eep!” Cerridwen yelped, dashing away and Kirito was quick to follow.  
  
Heathcliff shook his head as he followed them, glad that they could still find enjoyment out of life. It was the little things that mattered. Besides which, they both had _Hypersense_ , if something appeared, they’d stop playing around. They were paying attention, even if it seemed like they were not.  
  
Let them be the youths they were _supposed_ to be for the moment, there was no one around that needed to be impressed.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito stopped dead and then lunged, catching Cerridwen by surprise when his momentum pulled them to the ground and then rolled several times before coming to a stop, Kirito was on his knees, his Anneal Blade catching another blade as it came down on them both like a ton of bricks.  
  
Kirito grunted at the effort he had put into his block. The position he was in reminded him eerily of that first Duel he’d had with Morte more than two years ago. He was on his knees, but this time he was also protecting his Partner, it was even more important that he not move. When he looked past the sword, he growled. “ _You…_ ”  
  
Jadeite smirked. “I’ll kill you boy!” He roared.  
  
Kirito saw something over Jadeite’s shoulder. “I’m not the only one who wants… _words_ with you.” he hissed, pushing against Jadeite with all the strength he could muster as his brother surprised the Zombie from behind.  
  
“I think not.” Heathcliff snarled, drawing Jadeite away from Kirito and Cerridwen so that they could get back to their feet. “ _I have a bone to pick with you, Jadeite!_ ”  
  
Suddenly, Jadeite found himself on the defensive, blocking and parrying the heavy blows as best he was able. Something about the man before him was scarily familiar in a way that Jadeite couldn’t put his finger on.  
  
The next moment, he was forced to spin, to block several attacks from Cerridwen as she thrust at him with something akin to an anger that he’d never seen, then, as if by some signal that he wasn’t aware of, he was dealing with the Kirito again.  
  
The three were making it very hard for Jadeite to follow them, the order in which they attacked always changing.  
  
Finally, Kirito struck the Zombie from behind with a Sword Skill, a Savage Fulcrum.  
  
The Zombie stood there for a moment, staring at Heathcliff. “You’re… Captain… Heath...clif…” He said as he fell to pieces.  
  
Kirito breathed slowly, flourishing his Anneal Blade before turning to watch Jadeite’s corpse quickly turn to dust.  
  
“Are you alright, Kirito-kun?” Cerridwen asked, ready to catch him should he lose his balance.  
  
“I think I can finish Patrol, but I’m not going to be able to do much except charge my Anneal Blade.” He replied, looking down at his sword. “Funny, how I don’t feel any better, even though we’ve brought my parents justice…”  
  
“Killing him was never going to bring them back, Kirito-kun.” His older brother reminded him softly.  
  
“I always knew that,” Kirito whispered as his shoulders began to shake and tears started to roll down his cheeks. “I killed again, but, I’m not sorry.”  
  
“He died a long time ago, Kirito-kun.” Cerridwen whispered, pulling him close. “There was nothing to feel.”  
  
Kirito took a shaky breath and hid his face in her shoulder, silently releasing all the emotions he’d still had pent up, unable to release with that cadaver still walking around.


	22. Surprising Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there are more discoveries...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hvar í fjandanum hefurðu verið?! Ég held að þú sért dáinn í tíu ár og… = Where the fuck have you been?! I thought you were dead for ten damn years and..

**May 3, 2025; Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Kirito sat there stoically, as he, Rei and Asuna waited for everyone else to arrive. He still hadn’t quite recovered, but at least he hadn’t had any nightmares because of the… _Jadeite Incident_ as he, Asuna and his brother were calling it now.  
  
It never failed to make him laugh, the irony that he’d killed Jadeite the same way he’d killed Kunzite in SAO, from behind. Nor was the irony lost on him that he’d told the Guardian’s not to expect him to be able to pull that off a second time, only to do exactly that. His luck was really weird.  
  
Asuna sat next to him, “If you continue to do this, they are going to start expecting you to do things that you can’t.” She warned quietly.  
  
“The only reason I was able to was because you and Heathcliff were distracting him.” Kirito replied softly with no heat in his voice.  
  
“My miracle worker,” Asuna teased with a smile, frowning when he gently lowered his head to the tabletop. “Kirito-kun?”  
  
He stayed silent for a moment before Asuna’s attention was drawn to the opening door, Hathor and Nakama had arrived, and behind them was Makoto, Minako with Lux, Ami and Mamoru with Beryl and Persephone. She noticed that Persephone was barely restraining herself to cold looks at Hathor and Nakama’s backs but was keeping her peace.  
  
 _Which_ , she mused. _Is a good thing. They don’t remember what happened and Setsuna hasn’t told them._  
  
“Now that everyone’s here, we can get started.” Asuna said. “If you’ll come out, Moira?” the young Princess asked, looking to the wall directly behind where her Consort was sitting.  
  
There was a ripple of air, and Setsuna appeared, a hand resting on Kirito’s back in concern. Apprehension was shining in her eyes as she gazed down at the young man. She knew, from her viewing the future through the Time Gates that he’d recover, but that didn’t make watching him suffer in the Present any easier. Setsuna was very fond of Kirigaya Kazuto. She knew that Kirito would bounce back. She’d seen it, but as much as she wanted to help, there was nothing Setsuna herself could do.  
  
This was something that Kirito had to work through on his own.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Nephrite growled as he viewed the recording again. “Sloppy.” He muttered as he watched the young man kill Jadeite for the third time. “Sloppy and careless.”  
  
“Indeed,” Zoicite agreed, coming out of one of the shadowy corners of the room. “Do you want to report his failure to Queen Beryl or shall I?”  
  
Nephrite snorted, “Like you want to report this to her either.” He muttered, flicking a lock of dark brown hair over his left shoulder.  
  
Zoicite laughed, “You have me there.” He admitted as they watched the fight a fourth time. “Wait a moment…” the blond said, reaching out to pause it. The third General tapped a button several times and the frozen footage backed up several frames. “Nephrite, what does that look like to you?”  
  
Nephrite blinked, turning to the shorter man. “What does what look like?”  
  
“Watch the playback, I’ll go frame by frame.” Zoicite replied, tapping another button several times when he was sure that his Comrade in arms was watching.  
  
The youth’s sword, which they were both sure they recognized from somewhere, was engulfed in a dark grey fire as he held it to one side of his body, a moment later, he made a horizontal cut from right to left, the next cut was diagonal with a slant upwards, from left to right. And the final cut was a vertical cut going straight down.  
  
“What does _that_ look like to you?” Zoicite repeated, turning to look at the taller man.  
  
Slowly, Nephrite’s eyes narrowed. “How did that boy learn _Savage Fulcrum_?” He asked just loud enough that Zoicite could hear. Nephrite wasn't sure if he was asking himself or Zoicite.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
“Kirito, we’ll start with your report please.” Asuna said gently.  
  
Kirito took a deep breath as he sat up straight. “We killed Jadeite.”  
  
“Wait, what?” Haruka demanded.  
  
Kirito’s head lowered slightly as his eyes narrowed into a glare, the ebony draining from his eyes to reveal an unearthly, eerie golden color. “I do not want to deal with your attitude, Guardian Uranus.” He growled, causing almost everyone to shiver at the feeling of magic in the air. “Jadeite is dead.” He repeated, “I killed him.”  
  
A shiver of something she couldn’t describe went down Haruka's spine, causing her to back away from him.  
  
Setsuna shivered, that trait was one that he would hand down to every child he’d have. It was unnerving that a boy who wasn’t old enough to drink yet could put out such a menacing aura when his temper was up.  
  
“You told us not to expect you to be able to.” Ami said quietly, “I’m glad you did, but that makes two for two.”  
  
“Don’t expect it again, I got lucky, if the encounter had been one on one, he’d have killed me.” Kirito said coldly. “It was not easy.”  
  
Asuna put a hand on Kirito’s shoulder and he seemed to completely deflate, closing his eyes as he once again leaned forward to let his head rest gently on the tabletop. “You can rest now, you are safe,” She whispered, “ _Relax_.” She ordered.  
  
“Yes _Princess_.” He replied, his breath evening out as he obeyed.  
  
“All right, was there anything to report?” Asuna asked, looking to each of them.  
  
Hathor and Nakama traded a look. “All the storehouses have been destroyed for the time being,” Nakama reported, “Without doing damage to the surroundings. It will take at least a month for another to crop up.”  
  
Asuna nodded, making a note on her tablet before turning her attention to Lux. “Has anyone discovered anything unusual?”  
  
“Persephone was the one who found it.” Lux said, nodding to the Guardian of Saturn.  
  
Asuna turned to her friend. “So?” She asked.  
  
“I noticed something was up in one of the spas close to here that is worth looking into, I’m not sure exactly what it is. It feels kind of like a Youma is in the area, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like a Dark Kingdom Operation. I noticed it earlier today and asked around. There have been no indications that anyone has left it feeling exhausted or drained and I looked it up, including checking some online reviews. Apparently it is popular with those who have problems sleeping and many like how they are especially relaxed after a session there. If a Youma is involved, then it is being very subtle.”  
  
“That doesn’t make much sense.” Ami said as she pulled out the Mini Mercury Computer.  
  
“No, it really doesn’t…” Minako agreed as she thought about it. “It doesn’t feel like something Nephrite or Zoicite would do…”  
  
“Zoicite liked subtle,” Makoto agreed, “But the way it’s described, this is just _too_ subtle, even for that Zombie.”  
  
“You said that it’s coming from a Spa?” Asuna said, turning her attention back to Persephone.  
  
Persephone nodded. “Yes.”  
  
“Then I know just how we are going to investigate.” Asuna smiled.  
  
“I just had a thought,” Persephone said. “All of the employees have been working there for years and, as I said, there are none of the hallmarks of energy harvesting. If a Youma is involved, then it isn’t taking much, not enough for most people to notice, at any rate.”  
  
“Sustenance,” Kirito said suddenly, his head still resting on the tabletop, his eyes still closed. “If energy is being taken, then what is being taken might be for that. We don’t quite know what the Youma do with all the life energy they harvest, but they do seem to need it to keep going. And if the amounts are small, then someone coming out relaxed and sleeping well that night can be explained as them doing a good job. Depending on how many customers it affects, then we’re talking about a small group of Youma at most, and it or they are trying to not draw attention. If they need life energy to survive…”  
  
Asuna turned to look at him. “You might be onto something there.” She said. “But the question remains. Is it a Youma, and why? Where was this spa, Persephone?”

* * *

  
  
**May 5; Kawagoe: Mistress of Illusion’s Massage and Spa**  
  
Asuna looked up at the building before turning to Persephone. “This is the place?”  
  
“It is,” Persephone nodded. “Shall we go inside?”  
  
Asuna nodded.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe Elementary**  
  
“Why are we here?” Rameses asked Silica quietly as they watched the school.  
  
“We are here because Asuna- _hime_ is checking that thing out, and she wanted back up close by.” Silica replied, rolling her eyes. “Have you made any progress in your Japanese Lessons?”  
  
“No, we get headaches more than anything else.” Kebechet grumbled with a pout.  
  
“I’m sure we’d be able to help.” Silica said, watching her guild leader as he studied one of the digital Primers that Captain Heathcliff had given out for free to those who wanted to continue studying Lunarian. “We’d be able to explain the writing systems.”  
  
“That’s not exactly what we are having trouble with…” Rameses admitted.  
  
“It’s more that there are several different ways to spell the same words…” Kebechet grimaced.  
  
“And the different words that mean the same thing…” Rameses agreed.  
  
“Are you by chance,” Lind said slowly, to make sure he was pronouncing the Lunarian words properly, “Talking about our numbering systems?”  
  
“Yes.” The Soulfire siblings chorused.  
  
Lind and Silica traded glances, “Do you want to explain, since you are closer to fluency than I am?” He asked the girl that had been nicknamed the DDA’s Dragon Princess.  
  
“I probably should.” Silica agreed thoughtfully. “Ok, so one of our words for the number four, is also a word for death.” She explained, speaking slowly so that Lind could also follow what she was saying.  
  
“Four is death?” Kebechet asked.  
  
Silica nodded. “ _Ichi,_ one, _Ni,_ two, _San,_ three, _Shi,_ four.” She counted off, using her fingers as she repeated the number in Lunarian so that the Aincrad inhabitants would make the connection easier. “We prefer to use _Yon_ for four. _Shi,_ means,” Silica paused as she searched for the right word. “Death.” She finally settled for.  
  
Kebechet blinked, “Why would you use the word for Death for the number four?”  
  
Silica and Lind traded a glance before they both shrugged. “As far as we know, it’s always been like that.” Silica replied.

* * *

  
  
**Mistress of Illusion’s Massage and Spa**  
  
Beryl, who had decided to tag along, looked around the Spa, her eyes widening as she recognized the place.  
  
Kirito cast his senses out as he looked around. “Why, Asuna-hime, have you dragged me in here?”  
  
“You have had trouble sleeping, and if this works for you then…” She shrugged, “We are only here to determine what is going on.”  
  
Kirito’s head snapped to one side and his eyes narrowed when they fell on a woman who was around Asuna’s height with very dark almost black hair done up in an elaborate bun to keep her hair out of her eyes. The woman was giving someone a massage.  
  
She looked normal, but Kirito could tell that there was something off about her. She didn’t feel _Human_ , at all for one. Something about her set his teeth on edge. “If there is a Youma here…” he said in a low voice so that only Asuna could hear him, “It would be that woman over there.” He made a small gesture towards the massage tables.  
  
“Then that is what you are getting,” Asuna replied, “And I am going to ask for her specifically.”  
  
“And in the case that she is indeed a Youma?” Kirito asked blandly.  
  
“Then we find out what’s going on,” Asuna stated. “As everyone has noticed, this doesn’t _feel_ like one of those operations. And, we deal with it. The how will depend on what’s going on.” She stepped up to the receptionist's desk. “Excuse me.”  
  
The young woman looked up, “Yes?”  
  
Asuna put on the most charming smile that Kirito had ever seen his fiancée use. “My fiancé has been having trouble sleeping recently,” She said, putting a touch of real concern in her voice. “I was hoping that you could recommend something that would help him.”  
  
The woman’s eyes, her name tag read ‘Homura’ flicked to look Kirito over. “Nightmares or insomnia?” she asked, turning her attention back to Asuna. “Yomi, who owns this place, is good at helping with both. She does Walk-Ins and Appointments.” Homura said helpfully.  
  
 _Yomi?_ Asuna thought. _Not very subtle there._ “Is she available?” She asked.  
  
Homura glanced over at the woman. “She’s almost finished with her appointment,” She said turning to check the day’s schedule. “And this is her last appointment of the day. You’re in luck.” Homura turned, “Hey Yomi-san, got a Walk-In for you.” She called.  
  
Yomi looked up, and then gestured to the next table over. “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Her accent was… different, as if Japanese wasn’t her first language. But her accent wasn’t one that was normally heard. It sounded almost like… Kizmel and Tilnel’s, actually. Smoother and more natural, as if she has been speaking the language for years, but it was there.  
  
Kirito gave her a questioning look and Asuna gave him a nod. “Go on, Kirito-kun.”  
  
Of them all, Kirito was the most sensitive to such things after Persephone. He should be able to feel it if his energy was being drained, even slightly. And if he didn’t, Persephone would, which was why Asuna had brought the Guardian of Saturn with them.  
  
Kirito pulled himself up and sat on the table that Yomi had indicated for him to sit on. He closed his eyes and started a breathing exercise, to make sure that he wouldn’t attack first and accidentally kill anything. After all, they were only here to find out what was going on. They weren’t here to kill anything, _yet_.  
  
‘ _Calm…’_ Kirito thought as his breathing slowed and evened out. ‘ _We’ll figure it out, if it is a Youma… there must be some story behind this, and we won’t know if I don’t have control over my first impulse.’_  
  
“So I hear that you are having trouble sleeping.” Yomi said pleasantly.  
  
Kirito opened his eyes to look up at her. “Yes.”  
  
“Well, what would you like me to do?” she asked, handing him a brochure with all of the things she did.  
  
Kirito took a moment to look at the options he had in front of him.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe Elementary**  
  
Silica’s head snapped to the left as a loud crash sounded. “Oh great.” She muttered as she got up from her seat.  
  
“You three go check it out,” Lind ordered, “Someone has to stay here to be on call for Asuna-sama.”  
  
Silica nodded, “Kebechet, Rameses, let’s go.” She said. “Boss, if she contacts you saying to stand down, let her know about this little bit of trouble if we’re still in there!”  
  
“As if I would not.” Lind snorted, “Get going.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Yoruhokōsha Umi was putting her equipment away when the wall almost came down on top of her. She yelped as she jumped away, going even paler when she saw that her illusion had come down. Daddy was _not_ going to be happy about this. At the same time, her club had already left, so she didn’t have to worry about them finding out her secret.  
  
“ _Give me your Energy!_ ” She heard a voice very similar to Mommy’s say.  
  
“ _No, go away you meanie!”_ Umi shouted back, accidentally slipping into her Daddy’s native language. She then kicked the big bully hard enough to turn it to dust before swiftly finding a place to hide when she heard more footsteps coming in her direction.  
  
“Is there anyone here?” A young woman’s voice called in her Daddy’s native language.  
  
Umi sank deeper into the dark corner she’d been lucky enough to find but didn’t say anything. Daddy was going to furious with her if she showed herself in her true form like this. And she didn’t have the ability to cast the spell that he placed on her yet!  
  
“I can sense you,” The same voice called. “Would you please come out? We won’t hurt you.”  
  
“No! You’ll hate me!” Umi refused.  
  
“Hey, there’s a pile of dust over here!” Another voice, a girl’s, called in what her Daddy called Lunarian. “Looks like the one that got through us was dealt with.”  
  
“Looks like, but where’s the one that did it?” asked a male voice. “And it maybe a kid, because this is a school for kids, isn’t it, Silica?”  
  
“Yes.” The second girl’s voice replied. “Please come out, Why would we hate a little kid?”  
  
“What a Brat…” the first voice muttered in Daddy’s language again.  
  
“Not a Brat, you Old Lady!” Umi shot back testily in the same language.  
  
“What did you just call me?” a girl with dark hair and dark eyes demanded, trying not to sound angry.  
  
“I called you an Old Lady, you Old Hag!” Umi snarked back.  
  
And from there, everything just fell apart.  
  


* * *

****

  
Solboem Næturvalla, Yoruhokōsha Solbjoem to the Japanese, had gotten very good at suppressing the urge to just drop the illusion he was under, pop his wings, and just fly in the years since he and his wife had managed to sneak away from the Dark Kingdom. But at the moment, it could not have been any harder to do.  
  
His little Eyjalin, Umi to the rest of the world, had still been in the school when the wall had toppled over! “Umi!” He called as he got to the wreckage.  
  
Solbjoem’s heart sank when he realized that the part of the school that had collapsed was where his daughter and her club practiced. “No…” He he gasped. Logically, his daughter was more robust, since she was half Alfheim Faerie, but that didn’t stop him from assuming the worst. “Umi,” He called again as he made his way over to the wreckage. “Can you hear me? Where are you?”  
  
He noticed several piles of dust on his way. His daughter couldn’t have… but then he had heard rumors that others were now taking the fight to the Youma, and winning the fights. Had a group of them arrived?  
  
He both hoped and dreaded the idea that they had. If they arrived, then the chances of his daughter being fine went up considerably. At the same time, if she had been forced to defend herself, then the illusion that he covered her with to hide the fact that she was not human would likely have failed, especially since a Youma was involved. And while she didn’t have the more obvious signs of the other side of her heritage, they were still there for someone to see if they were paying attention. And that didn’t bring up her more obvious Faerie heritage.  
  
“You’re nothing but an Old Granny!” He heard his daughter say in Alvarin not far off from where he was.  
  
“Say that again you little sh- brat, I dare you!” Came a heated response in the same language.  
  
“You almost said a bad word, I win!” His daughter crowed.  
  
“She’s got you there, Skuggi,” a male voice said with a laugh.  
  
 _Skuggi?_ He thought. _Could it… no, it can’t be her_. While it wasn’t a common diminutive back home, it wasn’t unheard of for more than a few Spriggan girls to be addressed that way.  
  
“Are they done, Rameses?” Another voice asked in Lunarian.  
  
“It seems so, and I’ve never seen Skuggi so soundly beaten in an argument before,” the source of the male voice, Rameses, replied, sounding quite amused. “And by a kid no less.”  
  
“Oh, shut up brother!” Came the hot retort in Lunarian.  
  
“He’s right about you being beaten, though, Kebechet,” the other girl said. “And you all never explained why he calls you Skuggi.”  
  
“It’s a diminutive of my birth name.” Came the response. “After things calmed down and we were picking up the pieces, my parents were dead, my brother was MIA, and we lost comms with Alfheim, so it wasn’t like I could be sent back home. His parents took me in and eventually adopted me. Since Rameses, Mom and Dad were from Mars, they followed the Martian tradition of renaming me when I was adopted into the family, so I now have the name of Kebechet Soulfire.”  
  
“What was your birth name then?” The other girl asked.  
  
The first voice seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying, “Skuggað Ljós Næturvalla.” She admitted. “Only Rameses is allowed to call me Skuggi.”  
  
“There’s no way you could be Aunt Skuggi! She died in The Fall, Daddy said so!” His daughter refuted, bringing Solbjoem out of his state of shock.  
  
“Wait, what did you just-” Kebechet began to say when Solbjoem Yoruhokōsha called for his daughter.  
  
“Umi,” He called out. “Stop hiding and come out, I won’t let them hurt you.”  
  
“Daddy!” Umi shouted, a pale blurr zooming out of her hiding place and coming to a stop behind his legs.”There’s no way that mean Old Hag could be Aunt Skuggi… Daddy, tell her to stop lying!” the little girl demanded.  
  
“Whoa, that girl is fast,” the boy, Rameses, said.  
  
“Umi…” Sobjoem scolded, “Don’t be mean, and remember your language,” he said in Japanese.  
  
“Sorry Daddy,” Umi apologized in perfect Japanese, “But I hardly ever get to use Alvarin…”  
  
Solbjoem sighed as he knelt, picking her up. “Don’t be rude.”  
  
Uni pouted. “What about Auntie Mio, we haven’t seen her in two years,” she complained. “She’s mean for missing two of my birthdays!”  
  
The shorter of the two girls laughed before trying to translate for the other two as she gasped for breath.  
  
“And just what is it that you find so funny?” Solbjoem asked.  
  
The girl got herself under control and shot him an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just that a Mio, or as I knew her in there, Beryl, was stuck in SAO with me.”  
  
“SAO?” He asked. “Mamoru did say that she was caught up in that mess, and of _course_ she would use that name as her handle, if only to spite the corpse bitch.” He turned sharply when he heard another set of hurried footsteps.  
  
“You said a bad word Daddy.” Umi poked his cheek. “Mommy’s going to punish you~!”  
  
“Solbjoem!” Mio’s voice called as she rounded the corner.  
  
“Beryl-chan, slow down!” Another voice called a moment later.  
  
“Hello Mio.” Solbjoem said as she came to a stop. “Umi has decided that you are mean because you missed two of her birthdays. That’s a lot, don’t you think?” He asked conversationally as four more people rounded the corner, a boy, two girls, one of whom looked surprisingly like Princess Persephone, and his wife Yomi.  
  
“Mean am I?” Mio asked slyly. “How can I be mean when I was trapped in a Simulation of Aincrad?” She muttered, pouting.  
  
He heard the girl that was with who _might_ be his sister translating the Japanese to Lunarian for the others, did they not know the language? No matter, there was someone to translate for them.  
  
“You know, if that ever gets brought back up, we need to see it,” the boy said in Lunarian. “You know, do a comparison to the real thing.”  
  
“Just don’t see if you can blow a hole between the eighty-fourth and eighty-fifth floors, Rameses,” the girl who might be his sister said in the same language.  
  
“Why would I do that?” Rameses asked. “It was an _accident_ , Skuggi! Well, not the explosion, but the blowing a hole between floors was. And I would like to see how _you_ would handle dealing with a nest of Sword Wraiths that wasn’t supposed to be there hunting you for two weeks.”  
  
“I wouldn’t end up _in_ that situation, you idiot,” came the reply. “Thus I wouldn’t see if enough explosives to _blow a hole between floors_ and a quarter stadia drop would do the trick. Not to mention nearly losing one of your arms and losing the other one in the process. Healer Hakonia was quite irritated with you for having to reattach it, if I recall.”  
  
“I got better!”  
  
“I take it this is an old argument.” The girl with amber hair said, her voice full of amusement. Then the rest of the statement filtered through her mind. “Wait a minute. Rameses, you were hunted by _what_ for two weeks?”  
  
“Can we… not get into that?” Rameses asked at the girl’s expression.  
  
“You _will_ be telling me later.” The girl hissed back.  
  
“Yes Pri- I mean, yes ma’am,” Rameses replied back quickly.  
  
“I would say that it’s an old argument between them.” The dark haired boy agreed with a smirk that wouldn’t look out of place on a Spriggan. “Also sounds like there’s one hell of a story behind it.”  
  
 _Hell of a story is an understatement,_ Solbjoem thought. _That kid managed to take out a nest of Sword Wraiths on his own and survived it? I don’t care_ how _he did that. If he was a little older, he wouldn’t be buying his own drinks at the bar for the next year for pulling that off.. My squad and I only ran into one, and we barely made it out of that encounter alive and half of us spent the next two weeks under Healer Hakonia’s tender mercies._  
  
“Just like there’s a story behind you taking on the Simulated Seventy-fourth Floor Guardian?” The girl with amber eyes said with a teasing grin, apparently deciding to focus on something lighter, not that Solbjoem could blame her. “ _On your own?_ ”  
  
“Oi, you know that the only reason we went in there was to save the Scouting Party.” The boy shot back, “Damned stupid Anti-Crystal Zones…”  
  
“Yeah, we hated them as well,” Solbjoem said absently. “Whether it was because we couldn’t use crystals to heal ourselves in a pinch, or because Healer Hakonia would always be on hand when we had to go into one for what those sadistic bastards called our drill instructors considered training varied.” He shuddered.  
  
“Well, Guardsman, nice to see you enjoyed the training.” Came a semi-familiar voice from behind him. “Would you like to join us again?”  
  
Solbjoen stiffened, turning around slowly. “Captain… How nice to see you.” He almost choked. _What’s next, Captain-General Eldurlag coming by? And that’s… oh, so_ that’s _how Alfheim was simulated so well. Captain Heathcliff was reincarnated as Akihiko Kayaba._  
  
“Commander, meet Guardsman Næturvalla, I believe he’d just completed the training shortly before went to Hell back then,” Heathcliff said. “Had things not happened, he would have gone through the public ceremony formally inducting him into the Royal Guard. There already was a private one, held only by the Guard.”  
  
The dark haired boy stepped forward so that he was standing next to the Captain and gave him a polite bow. “Pleased to meet you. I am Kirito, Commander of this little operation.”  
  
“Before you ask if he’s qualified,” Mio spoke up. “He’s killed both Jadeite and Kunzite, not to mention is the one who has been directing everyone who has been giving the Dark Kingdom so much trouble.”  
  
“He killed Jadeite and Kunzite?” Yomi asked in shock.  
  
“I got lucky and hit them from behind,” the boy said with a shrug.  
  
“Not to mention the fact that Kirito basically killed the simulated Seventy-fourth Floor Guardian on his own.” The amber haired girl said proudly.  
  
The boy shot her an annoyed look. “Asuna-hime…” he protested. “I did not. Klein and his boys were…”  
  
“Who took out all but half of its first Health Bar with _One Attack?_ ” The girl interrupted.  
  
Solbjoem looked between the boy called Kirito and the Captain several times. “Captain, choosing to put a family member in charge is against protocol.” He said.  
  
“Would you believe me if I told you that I’d made the choice in complete ignorance?” Heathcliff asked.  
  
“I’d need proof.” Solbjoem replied.  
  
“I was there when he informed Kirito about the matter,” Asuna said. “And Kirito was shocked when he learned that Heathcliff was his brother. Also, his adoptive parents confirmed that Heathcliff really _was_ ignorant of the fact until they confronted him about it before he informed us.”  
  
 _Who is this girl?_ Solbjoem wondered, turning his attention to the girl that was the same height as his wife. Not exactly _tall_ for a woman by the standards of the time he grew up in, but she was taller than average for a girl from Japan.  
  
“‘Shocked,’ says my _Princess_ ,” Kirito snorted. “That’s an understatement if I’d ever hear one.”  
  
Heathcliff smirked, chuckling, “Indeed, Princess, you seem to have a gift for Understatement. As I seem to remember that Kirito was absolutely furious with me.”  
  
“If you hadn’t been a cheating immortal at the time, I’d have killed you when we were on the twenty-second floor.” Kirito agreed. “On the other hand, _trying to_ was rather cathartic.”  
  
“I sense there’s a story there, but I’m not sure I want to hear it.” Solbjoem said evenly.  
  
Kirito’s smirk was slightly bloodthirsty. “Zoicite was behind the reason that we were all trapped for two years.” He said. “And the only way to log us all out safely, was for Aki to die in game. So he made himself the Final Boss.” Kirito looked away from his brother. “And I’m the one who did it. I’m still angry at you for that, _Kayaba Akihiko_.” he said coolly, his eyes more gold than ebony.  
  
Heathcliff sighed, “Then we will have to work on that.”  
  
“Well, now that that has been taken care of,” Kirito said, turning his attention to another, safer, topic. “Let's head to someplace we know is safe.”  
  
“Where is that?” Solbjoem asked, his grip tightening on Umi when the little girl started to wiggle.  
  
“There is a cafe nearby that's safe, close to where Kawagoe and Setagaya meet.” Kirito replied, “The owner is one of mine, and, he's actually Nephrite’s reincarnation.” The boy went onto explain, as if having even one of the Shitennou on their side wasn't that big a deal.  
  
Solbjoem raised an eyebrow but said nothing. That the Shitennou had been reincarnated was not a surprise to him, given who Mio was the reincarnation of. He idly placed the illusion that made his daughter look human back on her and let her go. Umi ran over to her mother and gave her a hug, which the disguised Youma returned eagerly.  
  
He saw the boy, Rameses give his daughter and wife curious looks when his eyes widened. “I take it there is quite the story there,” the boy said in Lunarian. “And Skuggi, calm down. I know you want answers, but explode on him _after_ we get to the cafe. Unless you want Asuna to punish you in that unique way of hers?”  
  
A glance at the girl who seemed to be his sister made Solbjoem internally wince. There was a gamut of emotions running across her face. He could also sense her magic going haywire, and now that he was paying attention to it, he could feel the mix of Water and Shadow magic under the surface.  
  
Oh yes, she was his younger sister. Someone having two primary affinities was far too rare for it to be anyone else.  
  
This was not going to be a conversation he was looking forward to.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Agil looked up when the door to his cafe opened and had to hide a grin when he saw who it was. “Hello Commander, what brings you here today?” He asked, giving Heathcliff a nod and the three new people a curious look. “Boxy is downstairs, shall I give you all a tour of what we have so far?”  
  
“That would probably be best.” Commander Kirito said dryly. “We’ve had another… _Aki Incident_.” he said with some amusement.  
  
“You mean someone’s older brother has shown up after going missing for some time now?” Agil winced. “Yeah, up here in my cafe is no place for that.” He gestured to them all to follow and led them down into the kitchen, to a pantry, which held a ladder going down rather than any food in it.  
  
“Are any of the floors finished?” Commander Kirito asked as he examined the ladder and hole.  
  
“The framing for the walls and such are finished, but the plumbing and electrical wiring are only half finished.” Agil said as he started climbing down into the darkness.  
  
“Better than nothing.” Commander Kirito agreed as he followed the man down.  
  
When they got to the first landing Agil pulled out a flashlight and located one of several floodlights he and the guys were using to light the place and turned it on. “There we go.”  
  
“Agil, I see they are here.” Came Boxy’s voice from not far away as everyone else started to climb down the ladder.  
  
The last one down stiffened at the sound of Boxy’s voice. “Oh no, not him,” Yomi said faintly.  
  
“You’ll find that he’s not as he used to be.” Commander Kirito told her gently. “He feels the same way you do about the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
“But-”  
  
“Ah Commander, it is good to see you,” a man dressed as a priest said as he walked over to them. “And I see we have some guests.”  
  
“You as well Boxy, and yes. We do. Kebechet claims at least one of them as her brother. The rest, are his family.” Commander Kirito replied. “I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened to Jadeite by now?”  
  
Boxy smirked, “Good riddance.” The man agreed, “I hear you got him from behind?”  
  
“Savage Fulcrum.” Kirito confirmed. “I don’t think it will be long before I can handle the four and five-hit skills now. I still can’t handle even the weakest of _Dual Blades_ yet.”  
  
“You are getting there.” Heathcliff said before turning to Kebechet. “Now, I believe you have a bone to pick with the Guardsman?” He asked in Lunarian.  
  
Kebechet ripped the bandanna of her head. “Yes, I do.” she replied in the same language before turning to Agil. “Do you have some place we can have this discussion in private? I don’t think his daughter needs to hear some of the words I plan to say.”  
  
“There are two more floors you can choose from.” Agil replied, “Just, no magic use please?”  
  
Kebechet nodded and grabbed Solbjoem by the ear and dragged him to the ladder leading down. “Come, we need to talk.”  
  
“Let go of my ear!” He squawked.  
  
“And give you a chance to run?” Kebechet asked snidely. “Not happening.”  
  
“We shall now pray for the Goddesses to have mercy on him, because Skuggi will not,” Rameses said solemnly, closing his eyes and bowing his head.  
  
“I am of a different faith, but I shall pray to the Lord for his sake,” Boxy said, just as solemnly.  
  
“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Kirito commented. “Aki is fine, after all.”  
  
“ _Hvar í fjandanum hefurðu verið?!_ ” Kebechet’s voice demanded from the floor below. “ _Ég held að þú sért dáinn í tíu ár og…”_  
  
“I think we should go upstairs,” Yomi said, with her hands over her daughter’s ears. “I think this might take awhile.”  
  
“Mama, that’s uncomfortable on my ears!” Umi protested, trying to take her mother’s hands off her.  
  
“I think that’s a good idea,” Kirito said drily.  
  


* * *

****

  
“I’m glad Yui and Strea are digital entities,” Asuna said as the fake pantry closed behind them. “I wouldn’t want them to hear that language, even if they can’t understand Alvarin.”  
  
“That is going to change the more we play ALO, Asuna, you know that.” Kirito replied.  
  
“What?” Yomi asked, letting go of Umi’s ears.  
  
“While we were trapped in SAO, we adopted the two most adorable AIs out there,” Kirito said nonchalantly. He pulled out his phone and went through a few things, “Here’s a picture of them.”  
  
Yomi took the phone and looked through the pictures. She noticed how the little girls also looked like Asuna and Kirito. “Very cute.” She said, handing the phone back.  
  
“Of course they are.” Asuna smiled proudly. “They are our daughters.”  
  
“Not that Umi here isn’t cute,” Kirito nodded. “But we are biased in that we think ours are cuter.”  
  
Umi pouted. “I hope Daddy’s ok…”  
  
“I’m sure he’s fine, and if not we can call Tilnel.” Kirito replied. “She’ll be able to patch him right up.”  
  
Everyone who was sensitive to magic looked down towards the basement as they felt a sudden burst of magic.  
  
“And we might need to call on her,” Kirito added before looking at Rameses, who was already moving to the false pantry.  
  
Asuna opened her Mystic Tome and was writing a note. Which she then sent. “She’ll be here soon.” She said as she closed her Mystic Tome.  
  
“Um, mama, the illusion broke,” Umi said in a faint voice.  
  
The door opened before anything could be done. Kirito looked over, “It’s just our Jewelry Bunny.”  
  
“Don’t call me a Bunny, Co- _ohmygoshsheissocute!_ ” Luna shouted as she dashed to where Umi was standing, scooping the half Faerie, half Youma girl up.  
  
“Mama, help!” Umi called out as she tried to wiggle out of Luna’s grasp.  
  
“I want to-” Luna stopped babbling as she felt a light tap on her shoulder.  
  
“Would you please put my daughter down.” Yomi said, having dropped her own illusion.  
  
Yomi’s true form, to everyone’s puzzlement, wasn’t _too_ inhuman. She was around Asuna’s height, with pale skin and hair, purple catlike eyes and her fangs clearly showing as she scowled at the young woman.  
  
Luna slowly put Umi down and slowly backed away from the Youma. This one was probably like Klein’s guys, since the others weren’t doing anything about… _her_. Being this close was still terrifying.  
  
“Commander, I hope you called Tilnel,” Rameses said as he came into the room. “I don’t know what he said, but it set Skuggi off and she sent him into a wall with Water Magic. On the plus side, if there was any mess down there, it was washed away. On the minus side, we now have an unconscious Spriggan. At least he’s still a he. Last time I got her that mad at me, she turned me into a girl and left me that way for two months.”  
  
“I took care of it, Rameses.” Asuna replied. “She’ll be here soon. As will Ashley, since Kebechet used Magic when she was asked not to. I’m thinking lots of pink, _bright pink_ , is in order, though I will leave it up to Ashley. She might think something else is more appropriately saccharine. And you probably deserved it if she did that to you. What was it?”  
  
Rameses grinned. He wasn’t able to get blackmail on his sister very often. And then Asuna’s question dawned on him right as he was about to answer. “Let’s just say that I was fourteen and made a stupid comment on the wrong day and leave it at that,” he said.  
  
“Princess, who’s he?” Luna asked. “He’s speaking Lunarian like he was born to it. I thought only Yuuna was that fluent.”  
  
“This is Rameses, he came from Aincrad.” Asuna introduced him. “Rameses, this is Usagi Tsukino, or as we know her, Luna. Luna, Rameses Soulfire.”  
  
Luna looked him up and down. “Nice to meet you,” She said in Lunarian. “What’s the story behind the Youma over there?” She asked, turning back to Asuna.  
  
“That’s Yomi, she’s one of Beryl-chan’s informants,” Asuna said. “And I would have appreciated having been informed of that little bit of information _before_ we went to check her massage parlor out.” She shot Beryl a look.  
  
“It’s been two years, and I forgot that she had that going on so that she didn’t have to drain people,” Beryl said.  
  
“Hey, don’t be mean to Auntie Mio!” Umi exclaimed.  
  
“Not being mean Umi, just reminding my friend that she needs to tell me these things.” Asuna said, patting the girl’s head. “So, Yomi, what do you do with the Energy you take?”  
  
Yomi blinked. “I need it,” she replied. “Thankfully, Umi here can sustain herself with normal food, but I need it to survive. Food’s good and all, but it does nothing for me. I didn’t want to draw attention, so I went with very small amounts, but from more people. And with the spa, I have customers who keep coming back because I am quite good at my job. And I’ve managed to keep it up for ten years without being noticed.” She looked thoughtful. “By the way, how did you notice?”  
  
Asuna nodded thoughtfully. They had thought that the entire thing was so as to not draw attention. A single Youma taking miniscule amounts of energy, and with her job those she took the energy from would liken it to her being very good at giving massages. “And Umi?”  
  
“Nephrite was curious if it was possible, so he had Solbjoem and others dragged out of the stasis prison they were kept in,” Yomi explained. “This was… before I left their service. Well, he didn’t force things, though he made sure we were in each other’s presence constantly.” She chuckled. “Solbjoem wasn’t exactly cooperative at first, but he was unarmed, and measures were taken to ensure that he wasn’t in much of a state to fight. I think it was a few months before something changed in me. I began to see him as more than a prisoner who I was ordered to spend constant time with. A few months later, Solbjoem seemed to be reciprocating. And yes, we are both aware of the likely reasons why.” She flushed. “I won’t go into detail, but soon, I was pregnant with Umi and we began plotting an escape. We managed to, obviously, and six months later, Umi was born. That was a little over a decade ago.”  
  
“Then there might be others that need rescuing?” Asuna asked softly. “Would you happen to have a list of who was taken?” Her eyes narrowed in thought. “Or were they all brainwashed?”  
  
“As far as I know, at least a few are probably still alive, they should all still be in stasis prisons,” Yomi said. “From what I once overheard, Kunzite mentioned that while mind control can work in the short term, it loses effect over time. And a large number of the prisoners are trained soldiers, so they may be able to break it even sooner.”  
  
“Then why keep them?” Kirito mused. “If it can’t be to suborn them, then keeping them would just be a drain on resources. I’m not complaining, but that doesn’t sound like them. On the other hand, they have potential agents for a short term op that they can use, so that might be why.”  
  
“Well, we can take care of that.” Asuna replied. “And no offense, Yomi, but I will have your husband checked for that just in case.”  
  
“None taken,” Yomi replied. “I’m confident that there are no hidden surprises in him, but I can understand you wanting to double-check.”  
  
“Better to check and find nothing.” Asuna agreed as the door opened again, admitting Ashley and Tilnel to the Cafe.  
  
“Alright, which of you idiots has done something stupid, _this time_?” Tilnel asked the whole group.  
  
“And which of you was idiotic enough to do something Asuna told you not to?” Ashley asked in the same tone.  
  
“They are downstairs.” Kirito replied. “We’ve discovered another survivor, Tilnel.” He gestured towards the stairs and the kitchen.  
  
Tilnel nodded, heading for the stairs, not paying attention to Yomi or Umi’s presence, despite the lack of illusions on them.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kebechet was sitting next to her unconscious older brother, panting for breath. She was feeling much better. “Stupid brother… I’m on his Contact List!” She muttered. He should have checked that the first chance he had! Tears were still rolling down her cheeks when she heard the soft footsteps of someone approaching.  
  
“What have you done, Kebechet Soulfire?” Tilnel asked in a tone that Kebechet recognized as one that Healer Hakonia used on the idiots who thought trying to emulate Princess Serenity was a good idea.  
  
Eep?  
  
“Um, Healer Tilnel…” Kebechet laughed nervously. “I, uh…”  
  
Tilnel sighed. “Never mind that.” She said as she knelt next to the Spriggan girl and started running a Scan on her brother’s form. “Well, you didn’t break anything.”  
  
Kebechet cringed. She’d _angered the Healer_ … Now what?  
  
“Oh, and Ashley’s waiting upstairs,” The dark elf said. “The Princess has probably declared that you’ve just volunteered to be her dress up doll.”  
  
Kebechet swallowed. Oops? She was in real trouble now… She’d taken amusement when it was her brother and Princess Persephone but now… She was actually scared. Especially because her older brother would likely see the result.  
  
“I’d go upstairs and get this over with, if I were you.” Tilnel said as the Scan results came in.  
  
“Yes Healer Tilnel.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kebechet entered the cafe proper with her head down.  
  
“So, Ashley, I was thinking a bright, _bright_ pink.” Asuna was saying to the dark haired young woman who was now sitting across from her and Kirito in one of the booths. “To bring out her dark hair and eyes.”  
  
Kirito was doing his level best to ignore the conversation and had his attention on a tablet in front of him, probably studying from one of the Lunarian or Alvarin Primers.  
  
“Are you talking a Pastel Pink or a Hot Pink?” Ashley asked curiously. “Because either will work for what you have in mind.”  
  
“The more eye catching the better.” Asuna replied with a conspiratorial grin.  
  
Rameses was sitting at a table, talking to Umi, whose illusion had fallen, and… oh, so _that’s_ what her sister-in-law looked like without the illusion. For a Youma, she was quite pretty.  
  
Kebechet went to sit with her little brother and niece. Better to avoid Princess Asuna for the moment.  
  
“Surprised you’re not chiming in,” she said to Rameses in Alvarin.  
  
“And get dragged into the fashion show?” Rameses asked in the same language. “Sorry, but I would like to not get forced into a dress again, let alone those stilts called shoes, because our reincarnated Princess is in a mood. Sorry sis, you’re on your own here.”  
  
“Your care and worry for me is noted,” she replied drily.  
  
Umi shot her a look and scowled. “You deserve it,” she said and then blinked. “But why would be getting dressed up be a punishment?”  
  
“I think it has more to do with them being forced into it, Umi.” Yomi said and she then looked at Rameses. “And the fact that you mentioned again… this has happened?”  
  
Kebechet snickered. “When I finally got here, he had been forced into a nice red dress,” she said. “And then we all came here, so he was out in public wearing all that.” She looked at the bartender. “Didn’t your wife take pictures?”  
  
“Not that it bothered me that much,” Rameses said with a shrug. “I’m just happy that you got your brother back. And if…”  
  
“He’s your brother too, since your parents adopted me.” Kebechet said.  
  
“So, you are Aunt Skuggi?” Umi asked innocently, turning huge purple eyes on the Spriggan.  
  
Kebechet stiffened as she took in the adorableness of her niece. “Yes.” she said finally. “I guess I am.”  
  
They all turned to look when the doors opened again. “…It’s nice to see you again, Royal Physician Tilnel. I was actually quite surprised to wake up to your lovely face.” Solbjoem was saying as he held the door for the Dark Elf. “While you don’t hold a candle to my wife, it is still a pleasure.”  
  
“Thank you, Guardsman Solbjoem.” Tilnel replied with a smile. “You should be grateful that your sister didn’t actually break anything in her anger. And well said as well. Care to introduce me to her at some point?”  
  
“She and my daughter came with me, Healer Tilnel,” Solbjoem said. “But a word of warning, they, or at least my wife, kind of… stand out.”  
  
“I think I noticed, but I was more concerned for you, since you’d been injured.” Tilnel shrugged.  
  
The door closed, and Solbjoem walked over to where his sister and wife were sitting and slid in next his daughter. “So, Skuggi, where have you been living since you got here?” He asked, turning to his little sister.  
  
“Rameses and I have been staying at the Hikawa Shrine since we got here.” Kebechet replied. “You _should_ have checked your Contact List. We might have been in stasis, but we were _alive_!”  
  
“There’s no need to keep reminding me.” Solbjoem told her, tugging on one of her ears.  
  
“No, you need to be reminded that you messed up. _Big time_ , _Onii-chan_.” She said, using one of the few Japanese words that was sure she could use correctly.  
  
“So I notice that some people know Lunarian when they really should not.” Solbjoem noted.  
  
“That is my doing.” Said Heathcliff pulling out two tablets. “Rameses Soulfire, these are for you and your sister.”  
  
“Are these the reworked Primers, sir?” Rameses asked, taking them both and handing one to Kebechet.  
  
“They are.” Heathcliff agreed.  
  
“Thank you.” They both said, opening the Primer’s App.  
  
“Kebechet, hold on for a moment,” Asuna said in Lunarian. “We still need to get you properly dressed, first.”  
  
Kebechet paused and looked at Asuna, who gave her a smile. One with teeth to it, despite being closed mouthed, and one which brooked no argument. She turned to look at her brother, who was very carefully looking away, but she could feel the amusement coming off of him, the traitor.

* * *

  
  
**May 9; Kawagoe**  
  
Kirito opened one eye and glared at his alarm clock. He growled, not wanted to get up but Grandfather wanted them to join him and Sugu. He reached over and slammed his hand down on the button, using too much strength. Because he ended up destroying the clock. “Stupid Clock is too delicate!” He grumbled as he extracted himself from Asuna’s grasp. He tapped her cheek, “It’s time to get up, Asuna-hime, we are expected downstairs.”  
  
Asuna grumbled before rolling out of bed. “Why so early?”  
  
“Because Grandfather said so.” Kirito replied as he pulled on a shirt. “He is a Swordmaster, even if his style doesn’t fit the way we fight, he can still help us.”  
  
Asuna grumbled as she reached for the drawers where she was keeping her clothes.  
  
Kirito started running his fingers of one hand through his hair and pulled the drawer for her. Then he grabbed his comb.  
  
Asuna pulled one of her shirts on and pulled her hair out. She grabbed a pair of comfortable pants out of the drawer as Kirito started brushing her hair.  
  
After pulling her pants on, Asuna pulled her hair back the way she liked it as Kirito pulled a dark pair of pants on. “Do we get breakfast first?”  
  
“No, breakfast comes after practice.” Kirito replied as he finished getting dressed. “Trust me, you don’t want to eat before training. Even _Her_ memories will confirm that bit. Let’s get downstairs before Grandfather sends Sugu up to wake us.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “Then let’s go.”  
  


* * *

****

  
“I’m surprised that you made it in time, Onii-chan.” Suguha said with a grin when Kazuto and Asuna joined her in the front yard, to start her Katas.  
  
“And have Grandfather send you up to wake us? I think not.” Kazuto snorted as he picked up two of the Shinai and tossed one to Asuna.  
  
She caught it and gave it a few swings, before nodding.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya**  
  
Nephrite eyed each person as they walked passed the bench he was sitting on. Who should he start with…?  
  
“I’m telling you dear, our daughter should just come home.” Nephrite’s ears perked and he turned to see a pair of people walking past. “Asuna shouldn’t be staying at a boy’s house.”  
  
“Kyouko,” the man said to the woman, “You know that she needs to be where she is right now. It is the only way that she will recover in an adequate amount of time.”  
  
Kyouko grimaced as she turned to him. “I know that Shouzou, but I still can’t wrap my head around it completely.”  
  
Nephrite stood from the bench and began meandering down the sidewalk towards the pair. His Divinations had shown that these two would be at their peaks soon.  
  
Quite deliberately, Nephrite bumped into the pair rather hard. “Oh, I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you.” He said with fake sincerity as he knelt to help them pick up their briefcases. It took only a few moments to place his mark on both.  
  
“Thank you, but we really must be going.” Shouzou said as a cab pulled to a stop.  
  
It would take a few days, but he would soon have a lot of Life Energy to give to Queen Beryl. She was getting increasingly impatient, and he wondered why. Oh well, it wasn’t his place to question the orders he was given, only to carry them out.  
  
 _And with those two, it will be a good start,_ Nephrite thought with a smirk as the cab pulled away.


	23. Approving Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progress on the Silver Army's HQ is speeding along.

**May 11: Dicey Cafe**  
  
“I’m actually amazed that we managed to finish these floors so soon.” Kathy said as she looked over the Infirmary, having already seen the Barracks floors.  
  
“We are working hard.” Said Andrew, “I have it on good authority that Tilnel will be very happy with this space.”  
  
“And what about the Commander’s Quarters?” Kathy asked, “That was a bit much, wasn’t it?”  
  
“Nope.” Her husband said with a grin. “You’ve seen how Kirito and Asuna are.”  
  
“So, what’s next on the list?” Kathy asked, pulling out the Blueprints. “Is it the Conference Room or the Lecture Hall?”  
  
I think it’s the Conference Room that’s next,” Agil replied thoughtfully as he led his wife to the ladder leading down to the next level.  
  
Right now, it was more of a skeleton of a series of rooms, but it was quickly coming together.  
  


* * *

****

  
Calling it a conference room was actually a bit of a stretch, seeing as the floor as it was laid out had several large meeting rooms on either side of a central hallway.  
  
“Each room is going to have a door, right?” Kathy asked as she gazed through the structural walls that were covered with wires and boxes for the electrical that was only half finished.  
  
“Yes, the largest one at the end of the hallway is where the general meetings are going to take place, and then each of the smaller rooms will, loosely, belong to one of the Guilds.” Agil replied. “I think it looks great.”  
  
“I must say I agree.” Kathy said with a smile. “Have we had any luck with that thing that your friend Persephone dropped off?” She asked, turning to look up at her husband.  
  
“Not yet,” Agil admitted. “I’m tempted to have Liz and her group look it over, as they are the closest thing we have to magitech engineers right now, unless Kebechet’s brother has those skills. I’d ask Heathcliff, but he already has enough on his plate.”

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
“Is this the place, Daddy?” Umi asked after they’d gotten off of the the bus they’d taken, “This place is so pretty!”  
  
“Well, your Aunt Skuggi is staying here for the moment.” Solbjoem told his daughter.  
  
“Why couldn’t Mommy come?” Umi asked.  
  
“Because one of the Guardians lives here.” He said, “According to the rumors I’ve heard anyway. If they are true, then I’d like the chance to explain things before bringing Yomi here.”  
  
“I can’t wait to see Aunt Skuggi and Uncle Rameses!” Umi smiled widely.  
  
“Then let’s go.” Solbjoem scooped his daughter up and started climbing the stairs.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kebechet perked up when she heard her brother’s voice. “Rei, my brother is here.” She called slowly in Japanese. It still felt very awkward to call her by name. Rei was to one day be the Princess of Mars, the same way that Asuna was going to be the Queen of the Empire.  
  
Asuna may deny it at the moment, but Kebechet was sure that the reborn Moon Princess would eventually change her mind. Or simply accept it as a fact. Aincrad, at the very least, was going to address her as such, regardless of what she thought. And so would Alfheim, if there was anything left of it.  
  
“I’m ready for him.” Rei replied, her eyes narrowing slightly when she felt something strange enter the Shrine Grounds. “That feels almost like, Jiji…” She muttered.  
  
“That would be my niece, I think.” Kebechet replied. “She’s half Spriggan.”  
  
“And half Youma by the feel of it.” Rei muttered as the two got to the top of the stairs and the man put the little girl down.  
  
“Aunt Skuggi~!” Umi squealed, dashing towards the teenage Spriggan.  
  
“Oof!” Kebechet grinned as she caught the girl. “Hi Umi.” She chuckled at the little girl’s enthusiasm, easily picking the girl up.  
  
Umi’s arms were tight around her neck as the little girl saw Rei.  
  
“Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine. I am Rei, the Maiden in charge.” Rei introduced herself to Umi and the girl’s father. “I’ve been expecting you Guardsman, if you could follow me inside?”  
  
Umi blinked when she saw something that didn’t really belong. “Aunt Skuggi, is that a Feathered Dragon?” She asked the older Spriggan curiously as the Dragon flew over, looking her over curiously.  
  
Kebechet looked up, “Oh, that’s Pina.” She replied, putting Umi down, “I bet Pina wouldn’t mind playing with you if you asked nicely.”  
  
Pina had landed on Kebechet’s head and was looking down at Umi inquisitively. Pina then chirped and took wing, circling the two fairies. Both fairies were curious, especially the smaller one, who didn’t feel quite like one.  
  
Umi wiggled out of Kebechet’s arms and ran after the little blue dragon.  
  
“Pina, what are you doing?” A new voice asked. Ah, that’s where the young Tamer was.  
  
Pina circled Umi, chirped, and then flew in a new direction, Umi running after her.  
  
Kebechet chuckled as she followed her adorable niece at a comfortable stroll. She was confident that Pina would not lead her niece off the shrine grounds, especially since she knew that Silica, Pina’s partner, was somewhere on the grounds. Pina would not leave Silica, no animal bonded with a Tamer would.  
  
Pina gave a cry of greeting to Silica and flew around the older human girl’s head. Pina landed on one of Silica’s shoulders and nuzzled the girl’s cheek before taking wing again and turning her attention back to Umi.  
  
Umi giggled as she continued to chased Pina around, not straying too far from Kebechet the whole time.  
  
“Is this usual behavior?” Silica wondered as Rameses poked his head out the door to see what was going on. She’s never seen Pina act like this before, and Pina was the only Feathered Dragon she’d seen in SAO, so she could not be sure.  
  
“Yes, this is normal behavior for the feathered dragons who tend to stay around the parks on Aincrad.” Rameses told her, when he joined her and his sister in watching Pina play with Umi. “The ones who prefer to be in the wild tend to keep their distance, though they aren’t afraid of people, but they will have to decide to approach. Or at least, that’s what I learned from Master Tamer Karrellan.”  
  
Pina started doing little aerial tricks for the excited little girl, sniffing the girl curiously whenever she flew close.  
  
“Huh, that’s interesting.” Silica said as she turned back to watch Pina with the little girl. “And something that I hope to see, if we ever set foot on Aincrad.”  
  
“When, not if,” Rameses corrected.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Greetings, Guardian.” Solbjoem said formally with a bow to Rei.  
  
“Greetings Guardsman.” Rei replied, “I will be checking to make sure the Generals didn’t leave any surprises in your head for us.”  
  
Solbjoem bowed his head, “Yomi and I are sure there is nothing to worry about,” he said. “But I understand Her Highness’ concern.”  
  
“Oh yes,” Rei said, “About Yomi… I notice that you didn’t bring her with you.”  
  
“Because she is a Youma herself.” Solbjoem replied, “I wanted a chance to tell you…”  
  
“You were afraid that I’d Dust her first and ask questions never?” Rei asked in amusement. “Guardsman, my Grandfather is Jiji, I’m more open minded than you think.”  
  
“She’s not a Youma that was reincarnated as a human.” Solbjoem stated dryly.  
  
“My point stands, Guardsman.” Rei smiled. “As long as she is of the same mind as my Grandfather, then she and I will see eye to eye.”  
  
She pulled out an Ofuda, “Now, I apologize if this hurts, but it’s the only way.”  
  
“I am ready, Guardian Mars.” Solbjoem said, closing his eyes.  
  
“Then, let’s get started,” She said as she placed the Ofuda, one that had been made by her grandfather, on him. She noticed his body tense, and heard him suck in some air, as the Ofuda began to cleanse any lingering Dark Magic within him from his body. It also allowed her to “see” the Dark Magic within him.  
  
There was far less of it that she expected, considering that he had been a prisoner of the Dark Kingdom and was married to a Youma. Some of it was older, and she could see the Ofuda’s work on it act more like how exorcising a hostile spirit would. But it already seemed to have been slowly dissipating naturally on its own as it was. A few more years, and it would have been gone entirely.  
  
The more recent Dark Magic within him, however, wasn’t attacked by the Ofuda outright but slowly and gently worked free and allowed to dissipate. In other words, not malicious in and of itself, but something that still didn’t belong. She recalled her grandfather once telling her that Dark Magic wasn’t inherently evil, any less than the magics often associated with good were inherently good. Both could be used for purposes other than what they were often associated with.  
  
Then again, her grandfather would know. She had seen him use his magic against things that even now she would not try and take on without the backup of the others, and there was always a slight hint of darkness to it. A hint, that she didn’t have in hers, much to his relief.  
  
The dark taint in Jiji’s magic would always unnerve her, as a relic of what he used to be, but that would not ever stop her from loving her grandfather.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Zoicite cursed Nephrite under his breath as he made his way to the throne room. How had he gotten stuck reporting Jadeite’s death? If only Kunzite hadn’t died during SAO!  
  
Everyone knew that Beryl was not going to be happy, no matter who it was that delivered the news. The fact that _Sword Art Online_ had been used to teach the ancient skills that had been thought lost, and for good reason was even more concerning.  
  
With news like this, their Queen was likely to kill the messenger, no matter who it was.  
  
And wasn’t _that_ a fun thought?  
  


* * *

****

  
“Zoicite.” Queen Beryl growled, “Where is Nephrite?”  
  
“Queen Beryl.” Zoicite bowed deeply. “Nephrite is in the process of selecting his first few targets.”  
  
“And _where_ is Jadeite?” The red haired woman snarled impatiently.  
  
Zoicite stiffened. “Jadeite was careless and sloppy. He got himself killed.” the blond sneered, dropping to the ground to dodge the unfocused blast of magic.  
  
“How did this happen?” Beryl thundered demandingly. “Who killed him?”  
  
“Somehow the boy knows how to use _Sword Skills_.” Zoicite informed her, ready to dodge again if he needed to. “He used _Savage Fulcrum_ to do it.” He dropped to the floor again when Queen Beryl looked to be ready to shoot magic at something again.  
  
“Explain to me, Zoicite,” Queen Beryl almost bellowed. “How that is possible.”  
  
Zoicite swallowed. He had never seen her quite this angry. “Queen Beryl, I think it was _Sword Art Online_ that taught him that, though how the creator of _Sword Art Online_ got his hands on such knowledge… I would not know, since the knowledge of magic in general and _Sword Skills_ in particular were lost when the _Silver Millennium_ fell in The Fall.” He explained hastily.  
  
Queen Beryl’s eyes narrowed as she seemed to calm down. “Well then, you and Nephrite had better find out how he got his hands on that knowledge. And then get rid of it so that he can’t teach anyone else.”  
  
“Yes Queen Beryl.” Zoicite bowed, and left the room hastily. He could recognise the dismissal for what it was. Better to leave before she tried to kill him again.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
“Alright,” Rei said as the Ofuda fell off Solbjoem’s head, “Anything that might have been there is now gone.”  
  
“Thank you, Guardian Mars.” Solbjoem said, opening his eyes. “That didn’t actually hurt like I expected.” he commented calmly. That there was some pain to it was left unsaid, but Rei had seen his reactions while her grandfather’s Ofuda did its work. “Was there anything that could cause problems?” Solbjoem looked up at the woman curiously.  
  
Rei looked thoughtful. “No, nothing seemed to be that way.” She shook her head. “Not that it could not have eventually become a problem, but everything that I saw, looked to be disintegrating on its own.”  
  
Solbjoem’s eyes narrowed, “ _Nanna manas'su nannadu,_ my mind is my own.” He said firmly. “We of the Royal Guard are taught to resist counteract things like mind control and brainwashing. So that actually makes sense.”  
  
“I thought you would have some idea.” Rei sighed in relief. “Silica had someone try something on her to control her thinking, and she resisted it on her own. Something about a benediction she learned in the Simulation of Aincrad. Hearing that my allies have a way to protect their minds lets me relax more.” She gave him a smile.  
  
Solbjoem nodded, “I can teach what I’ve learned, or give them a refresher on it if they already know how to, if that will help,” he said.  
  
“I’m sure it would, but perhaps you should bring this up with Captain Heathcliff and Princess Asuna instead of me.” Rei shrugged turning when she heard childish shrieks of happiness. “Sounds like Umi is having fun.”  
  
“It does.” Solbjoem agreed, “Shall we go see what is happening?”  
  
Rei chuckled, “Perhaps we should.” she agreed, heading for the door to the grounds.  
  


* * *

****

  
Silica looked up when the door leading into the Shrine opened to reveal Rei and Umi’s father. She smiled, “So, Rei-sensei cleared anything in you out?” Silica asked.  
  
“Yes she did.” The disguised Spriggan bowed to the teen. “And I see that my daughter is having fun chasing that feathered dragon around. Who are you again?”  
  
“My name is Silica, of the Divine Dragon Alliance Guild under the leadership of Lind. Tamer in training. Though, for the moment, I am concentrating on learning fire magic, since fire is my primary affinity.” Silica shrugged, “Then again, you already knew my name.”  
  
“Tamer?” Solbjoem blinked, finally noticing the Feathered Dragon playing with his daughter. “That Dragon is yours?” he asked.  
  
“I wouldn’t say she’s mine.” Silica disagreed. “More like I’m her human, the way that Rameses is Rājakumāri’s human. Once we have more time, I plan on making a Cait Alt on Alfheim Online.” She shrugged, “Until we have more time on our hands, I’m stuck being a Salamander.”  
  
“I see.” Solbjoem said slowly, that he could agree with. “You are helping to deal with the Dark Kingdom?”  
  
“I am, though not officially since I’m not quite fifteen yet.” Silica replied. “Though, perhaps you could spar with the Commander? He only ever spars with the Captain and our Princess.” She shrugged. “And Rameses on occasion, I think, since he is still trying to get his magic back under control. Something to bring up at the next meeting I guess.”  
  
“That is actually a good idea.” Rei mused. “Give him a chance to see how Kirito measures up.”  
  
“Just don’t expect him to be fully trained, since he was forced to end the Simulation prematurely.” Came Luna’s voice from the stairs. “Rei-chan! Nice to see you!”  
  
“Hello Usagi-chan.” Rei said as she caught her old friend. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”  
  
“I have something for you, actually.” Luna said opening her Mystic Tome. She tapped something and a necklace appeared in her hand. “Here! It’s a pendant!”  
  
Rei blinked as she took it. It was her symbol as the Princess and Guardian of Mars. It looked like it was well made. “Usagi-chan, where did you get this?”  
  
“Rei-chan, I’m a _Goldsmith_. I made that. My first project.” Usagi said with a pout. “Do you like it?”  
  
Rei smiled. “I love it, Usagi-chan. But aren’t you tired? From using that?”  
  
“Nope!” Usagi grinned, “I got used to the magical drain a while ago.”  
  
“How many times did it take until you didn’t have to worry about that?” Solbjoem asked. “Since you don’t have the implants that would have been standard back in the Empire, you don’t have them help with managing the load.”  
  
“About twenty or so, and after the first time, I made sure to have someone with me, just in case,” Usagi replied. “Though Naru did complain about how much coffee I was drinking because of it.”  
  
“A caffeinated Luna,” Silica said with a shudder. “Am I the only one who thinks that is something to be afraid of?”  
  
“Hey!” Usagi protested.  
  
“No, Silica. That scares me too.” Rei carefully put the necklace on. “So, have you passed on how you figured that out?”  
  
“Yup.” Luna grinned, “Most of us don’t use it because of the drain, though I’m sure that at least Asuna-sama can use it without the drain affecting her.” Luna said. “It would not surprise me if Kirito-sama could do it too, though.”  
  
“Twenty times?” Solbjoem mused. “That’s not bad at all. Most take far more times than that to do it without relying on their implants and some never manage it. I should know, as it took me a month of practicing that several times a day, which, admittedly, is longer than the average, but not that unusual.”  
  
“Is it a matter of power?” Rei asked.  
  
“No,” Solbjoem replied. “I know a few who were far below the average in terms of magical power who were able to do it without implants from the start, just as there are those who are more powerful than the average who never managed. Some people are simply better able to adapt to it than others.”

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe**  
  
Kirito opened his Mystic Tome and hesitantly reached for the Inventory option. It was lit, but he hadn’t tried opening it yet.  
  
“Are you going to try opening that or not?” Asuna asked as she sat next to him. “You are sitting, and if you start falling over I will catch you.”  
  
Kirito gave her a smile. “Thanks, Asuna-hime.” He said, pressing the holographic button. He hissed as he felt the magic drain, trying to figure out how much he was using. “Huh, the drain isn’t actually that bad.” He said, sticking his second _Anneal Blade_ into it. “Hm, Asuna-hime, you have stuff in here.”  
  
“But we aren’t married, why would we be sharing our Inventories?” She asked, looking over his shoulder.  
  
“That is a good question…” Kirito’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, isn’t magic all about intent?”  
  
“Yes, it is.” Asuna agreed. “Are you saying that we are married as far as our magic is concerned because of how we feel?”  
  
“I would not be surprised.” Kirito replied. “So that means that they linked up… When we made it official in SAO…”

* * *

  
  
**May 14: Setagaya**  
  
Cerridwen stopped as she and Kirito got to the end of her street. “Something is wrong here.” She looked around. “I don’t see anything but…”  
  
“I know, I can feel it too.” Kirito replied. “It seems to be coming from your house,” He said in a whisper.  
  
Cerridwen’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” She said quietly. She began to run towards the house in question. She vaulted over the gates with Kirito following close behind her.  
  
Cerridwen pulled her key from their inventory and unlocked the door. She pulled her key out of the lock and returned it to their Inventory. “Come inside, Kirito-kun.”  
  
Kirito slipped inside first, his eyes narrowing as he concentrated on activating his _Hiding Skill_. He opened his overcoat for her to allow her to use his _Hiding Skill_ to augment hers.  
  
Cerridwen slipped under his arm. “I think I sense whatever it is coming from upstairs.” She said quietly.  
  
Kirito nodded, “Lead me then.” He said quietly as they headed for the stairs.  
  
“We need to go up one more flight of stairs.” Cerridwen said quietly as they came to the second floor. “The feeling is coming from the end of the corridor.”  
  
Kirito and Cerridwen ghosted silently up the steps to the third floor. “It’s coming from Mother and Father’s offices…” Cerridwen breathed in shock.  
  
“And that’s bad?” Kirito asked.  
  
“Yes.” Cerridwen grimaced. “This has Nephrite written all over it.” she muttered.  
  
Kirito put a hand to the door of Shouzou Yuuki’s office. “There’s a Youma in there.”  
  
“Kirito-kun, you should let me handle the one after my father.” Cerridwen said suddenly.  
  
“You really think that this will help me to win your mother’s favor?” He gave her a disbelieving look.  
  
“Maybe not, but you should still try.” Cerridwen gave him a smile.  
  
“I’d do that anyway, you know.” Kirito said as he moved to the room where Kyouko was still working in. “Hime,” He said after a moment of thought, “How are we going to do this, since we are in your house?” He took a look at the very nice pictures on the walls and the elegance of the walls and carved doors. “I really don’t want to cause damage to your house.”  
  
“Then I suppose we will just have to believe that nothing can harm this place and hope it works.” Cerridwen shrugged in return.  
  
In the next moment, there was an explosion of energy and the two of them pushed their way into the pair of home offices.  
  


* * *

****

  
The door opened with such force that it bounced off of the inside wall, Kirito barely noticed that a purple polygon had appeared for a moment before disappearing again. His fiancée’s mother was slumped over in her chair in front of her computer.  
  
Standing there behind the Yuuki Matriarch, was the Youma in question. It swiveled the chair around and grabbed Kyouko by the throat.  
  
Kirito growled lowly as Kyouko’s eyes opened slightly, showing just how much she’d been drained. His stance shifted and a moment later, the Youma was dust, and he was carefully holding Kyouko up, to keep her from falling into the dust produced. “Are you all right, Yuuki-san?” He asked formally.  
  
Kyouko blinked as her energy was returned to her. “You, you helped me?”  
  
“Yes.” Kirito replied, “You are Asuna’s mother. And I don’t want her to lose her mother the way I lost mine.”  
  
Kyouko stared at him for a moment before silently wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly.


	24. Bets, Playing Dress Up, and Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another little girl that can make the DDA putty in her hands?

**May 15, 2025 Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Rameses and Kebechet were now quickly making progress in learning Japanese since Captain Heathcliff had reworked the Primers for them to use. They could now have very short conversations, mostly about food, in the language.  
  
Their comprehension, on the other hand, was still a work in progress. Of course, even with the primers speeding things along now, learning another language was something that required time. They could catch every fourth word now, when the person talking to them is talking, slowly anyway.  
  
Umi and Silica were happy enough to translate, and to teach them the words that they were having the most trouble with. And they both made sure to speak slowly so that the two Aincrad Inhabitants could easily follow what they were saying. That is, unless they got really excited about something.  
  
Umi was sitting on Kebechet’s lap, without the illusion on, talking about her day when Lind made an appearance at the Shrine.  
  
“Nice to see you, Guild Master.” Silica called, being careful to speak in Japanese for Rameses and Kebechet’s benefit. “How was your day?”  
  
“Quite well actually.” Lind said, his eyes landing on Umi. “Only the Little Sister could find a little girl even more adorable than herself.” He said with a grin.  
  
“This is Umi,” Silica said, “She’s Kebechet’s and Rameses’ niece.”  
  
“Ah, I’d heard from the Commander that we have another Survivor to pick the brains of.” Lind smirked. “I also heard that the Commander wants to spar with him.”  
  
“I bet my Onii-chan beats him.” Kebechet said with a smirk.  
  
“I would not be surprised.” Lind agreed with a grin. “We aren’t completely trained, so it would make sense that someone who was fully trained would be able to beat even the Commander.”  
  
Silica nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, Commander Kirito is really strong, but he can easily lose, going up against someone who is fully trained. But I have full confidence in him.” She grinned. “After all, Kebechet, your brother has been taking it easy for the last ten years, so he’s probably out of practice.” She had shifted to Lunarian during the conversation, preferring to ensure she was understood.  
  
“I’ve seen him fight.” Rameses agreed. “He got lucky against Jadeite. He’s still good, though. I’ve sparred with him and had my a- butt handed to me.”  
  
Kebechet nodded, “He is good, but I’m biased in favor of my brother.” She gave a sly look at Rameses. “And watch your language, bro. We don’t want you teaching Umi any bad words.”  
  
“Daddy is going to kick your Commander’s butt!” Umi said confidently. “He’s my daddy, I know he will!”  
  


* * *

****

  
Shivata stared at Umi, the little girl that Silica had found. “Hey Boss,” he called to Lind soon after arriving at the Hikawa Shrine.  
  
“Yes, Shivata?” Lind asked curiously from where he was sitting on a bench, watching the younger people.  
  
“Bet you a hundred yen that the girl has all the guys wrapped around her little finger within a week.”  
  
Lind turned to stare at Shivata. “A _day_.” He said, slapping a coin into his Second’s hand. “Although… perhaps we should ask The Rat to keep track of the wager?”  
  
“Naturally,” Schivata agreed.  
  
“I’ll get in on this,” Silica said, pulling a hundred yen coin out. “She will have them wrapped around her finger in an hour. You should have seen Luna’s reaction. Granted, it’s Luna, but I’m sure she wanted to take Umi home with her and spoil her rotten.”  
  
Lind snorted in amusement at that. “I don’t find that surprising at all.”  
  
“Neither do I.” Shivata agreed with a nod. Luna’s love of cute and cuddly things was a well-known fact to everyone she’d met in SAO. “She’s the Jewelry Bunny.”  
  
Silica nodded sagely in agreement.

* * *

  
  
**Tomoeda: Ashley’s Tailoring**  
  
Yomi looked up from the GPS on her phone to the building in front of her. “Yes, this is the right place.” She said.  
  
Umi looked up at her mother, “This is the crazy Tailor’s place. Why are we here, Mommy?” She asked curiously.  
  
“Don’t you want to play dress up with all the pretty clothes she has, Umi?” Yomi asked. “Her hobby is dressing people up in cute things. It also happens to be her job.”  
  
“This isn’t going to be like what happened with Aunt Skuggi, is it?” the little girl asked fearfully. “Because if it is…”  
  
“It won’t be dear.” The disguised Youma reassured her daughter. “When we asked, she promised to get a bunch of old things out of storage for you to try that she gave to her best friend.” Yomi pulled her daughter into the building.  
  
Umi stared at all the really pretty dresses that were too big for her to try on. “Ashley is really good at what she does, Mommy.” she commented in wonder.  
  
“Yes she is.” Yomi replied, looking around. “Ashley, are you here?” she called.  
  
“I’m in the back.” Ashley muffled voice called back. “Come meet me in one of the fitting rooms.”  
  
Yomi took Umi’s hand and started to pull her daughter towards the back of the small shop.  
  


* * *

****

  
Umi looked at the pile of clothing curiously as Ashley started sorting through the large pile. “You made all of this?”  
  
“Yep.” Ashley gave the half Youma girl a gentle smile. “I was around your age and a little older when I made all of this.” She explained. “My best friend, Sasha has been able to use her magic for a long time. Ever since we were kids, really. It’s a long story.” She grinned. “And I made all this for her to dress up in to do her feats of magic.” Ashley said as she picked a dress. “Here, put this on.”  
  
“Ok.” Umi said quietly.  
  
“Hoe, you’re making me sound more competent than I was.” Sasha said as she came into the back. “I didn’t know that you had customers at a time like this, Ashley.”  
  
“Ah! Sasha!” Ashley’s eyes lit up at the sight of her friend. “These two aren’t actually customers.” She said as Umi reappeared.  
  
“Um, Ashley-san…” the little girl said nervously with a blush on her face. She was dressed in an adorable little pink dress with a ruffley white petticoat under the skirt. She had a white shirt with poofy sleeves on under the dress and a big red bow tied around the base of her throat. On her head was a sailor style hat that matched the dress. Attached to the back of the dress was a pair of plush wings. on her hands were a pair of white cotton gloves and on her feet were a pair of pink shoes that matched the dress.  
  
“Eh?” Sasha stared for a moment. “You kept that old thing?”  
  
“Well of course I did!” Ashley huffed. “I can’t wait to dress your daughter in it. When is Syaoran-kun going to give me little Sakura-chans and Syaoran-kuns to play dress up with?” Ashley pouted.  
  
“Not until after this crisis is over, Tomoyo-chan!” Sasha squawked indignantly. “And maybe a few years after that!”  
  
The flap of Sasha’s bag sprung open, “Mou, Sakura, are we there yet?” asked a distinctly masculine voice with an Osaka accent, as the head of what looked like a stuffed animal poked out of the bag. The head looked around. “No one else is here! Ah, fresh air! I thought I was going to die in that bag…”  
  
Sasha hung her head. “Kero-chan…” she groaned.  
  
“Neh, Sasha-san,” Umi spoke up, “Are you a Tamer like Silica-san?”  
  
“No, this is Keroberos, he is one of my personal guardians. He draws his magic from the sun.” Sakura explained gently, scooping the Guardian of the Seal out of the air. “His title is actually the Guardian Beast of the Seal. His partner is Yue, the Judge. Yue draws his magic from the Moon, his power becomes stronger or weaker depending on the Moon’s phases. On the Full Moon he’s at his strongest and at the New Moon he’s at his weakest.” She lectured. “Are you with me so far, Umi-chan?”  
  
The little girl nodded. “Uh huh.”  
  
“My use of magic, under the Commander’s direction, is unique. That’s not to say that I can’t use _Sword Skills_ , I can.” Sasha continued. “It’s just that I also have something different to bring to the table.”  
  
“Have you told anyone about it yet?” Umi asked.  
  
“Not yet.” Sasha shook her head, “Unfortunately, there’s one more class I have to take before I can qualify to become a teacher. I need to finish that first.”  
  
You’re a teacher?” Umi asked, her innocent purple eyes wide in curiosity.  
  
“Not yet, but I want to be.” Sasha replied with a smile. “Maybe I’ll take a job at the SAO school.”  
  
“You know, I’m not sure that Captain Heathcliff found the person he wanted to be in charge of our mental health.” Ashley said quietly. “And I really doubt that the person Kikuoka-san found to do it is the right person either…”  
  
Sasha nodded, “I think you are right.”  
  
“Hey, hey, who is this, Sakura?” Keroberos asked. “And why is Tomoyo calling you ‘Sasha’?”  
  
“Kero-chan, this is Umi.” Sasha formally introduced them. “Umi, this is Kero-chan. Kero-chan, Sasha was my Handle in SAO, just as Ashley was Tomoyo-chan’s.”  
  
“I still think you should have let Yue play that too, to protect you.” Keroberos muttered.  
  
“Kero-chan, I can take care of myself.” Sakura reminded him testily, “And I ended up staying on the lower floors taking care of the children anyway. I did manage to get my skills up quite high in any case.”  
  
The little stuffed toy-like Guardian pouted. “How high?”  
  
“I think I got up onto the six hundreds actually.” Sasha replied after a moment of thought. “I knew I wasn’t going to complete any of my skills since I’d decided to stay on the first floor.”  
  
That’s good,” Keroberos grumbled. “I’d be most unhappy if that wasn’t so.”  
  
Sasha sighed. “Overprotective, the both of you…” She reached into her bag and pulled out her camera. “Anyway… let’s get some pictures of just how cute Umi is!”  
  
Ashley giggled happily. “I know, isn’t she just adorable?”  
  
“She is,” Yomi agreed as Sasha nodded. “Perhaps I should start a scrapbook.”  
  
“I’ll help you get one started, if you like.” Sasha suggested.  
  
“Thank you very much Sasha.” Yomi agreed.  
  
“I’m not cute!” Umi pouted.  
  
“Kid,” Keroberos said as he landed on Umi’s shoulder, “I hate to break this to ya, but…” He eyed his master and her friend, who were whispering about something that he really had no business knowing. “You are.”  
  
Umi frowned at the Guardian, though anyone who saw it would call it a pout.  
  
The three adults laughed at how cute the girl was.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Yuuki Residence**  
  
Kyouko put her chopsticks down, “Shouzou.” She said quietly.  
  
“Yes?” Her husband asked, looking up from his rice. “What is it?”  
  
“Has anyone started planning Asuna’s wedding yet?” She asked.  
  
“No plans have been made as of yet that I know of.” Shouzou told her. “Why?”  
  
“I think…” Kyouko paused to put her thoughts in order. “That needs to change.”  
  
“How did Kazuto gain your approval?” Kouichirou asked from his seat.  
  
“You weren’t here,” Kyouko told her son. “But your father and I were attacked by a pair of Youma.”  
  
“Kazuto and Asuna came to save us.” Shouzou nodded.  
  
Kouichirou’s eyes narrowed. “Did anything strange happen before the attack? Did you bump into anyone?”  
  
“We did, actually.” Kyouko said slowly as she thought about what had happened a few days prior to the attack. “A young man with dark brown hair and green eyes bumped into us, apologized and helped us pick our things back up before our cab arrived.”  
  
Something about the description of the man rubbed Kouichirou the wrong way, but he couldn’t put his finger on just why. He’d have to ask Asuna. “I’m not sure, but it sounds like one of the Generals targeted you both, though I don’t know which one.”  
  
“We’ll be more careful from now on, Kouichirou.” Kyouko said with a soft smile.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Asuna looked up from her sewing project when she heard her phone ring. “Who could be calling me now?” She wondered as she put the half-finished scarf down and picked up her phone. It was her brother. “Yes Kou, what is it?” she asked after accepting the call.  
  
She was silent for a few minutes while she listened to her brother speak. “What? Say that again!” She demanded, her shoulders slumping. “I was afraid of that. What? No, that’s not Jadeite’s signature.”  
  
She picked the scarf back up and got to work on it as she listened. “I know that because Jadeite is dead. Ki-Kazuto-kun killed him.” She snorted, “I know because I was there when it happened.”  
  
“Keep an eye on Mother and Father for me, ok, Kou?” She asked with a smile. “I love you too, Onii-chan, see you later.” She put the phone down after he hung up, her eyes narrow as she studied her work.  
  
They already suspected that it was Nephrite. Rei and Minako gave her a good briefing on the methods preferred by each general, and this had all the hallmarks of one of his operations. Of course, it wasn’t guaranteed or proven, but the way it happened… Well, whichever general it was, was going to die. Painfully.  
  
The thought brought some of Serenity’s memories to the forefront. Memories that were not exactly pleasant. But Asuna found herself beyond caring at this point, because a few things she saw were actually quite promising.  
  
Abruptly, Asuna shoved the scarf into her Inventory and got up. She needed to talk to someone. Preferably Heathcliff, _now_.  
  
The thought of agreeing with the actions _her_ memories were showing her left a foul taste in Asuna’s mouth. She did not want to go down that route, didn’t want to become that cold.  
  
Something from _her_ memories surfaced. A lesson from _her_ mother, in the queen’s voice.  
  
 _“A ruler must never give into anger, Serenity._  
  
 _However, should it be such as it cannot be contained, then it must be three things:_  
  
 _It must be controlled._  
  
 _It must be reasoned._  
  
 _And it must be legendary._  
  
 _Never forget this. You must control your anger, or it will control you.”_  
  
Now, where was that man?  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito landed on his back and rolled. Glaring up at his brother as he pushed himself back up and onto his knees. “Fuck your training, Aki.” He panted turning to look at the door as it opened. “Asuna-hime? What are you doing here now? I thought there was something else that you needed to…” He trailed off as he saw the expression on her face.  
  
He had seen her irritated at someone. He had even seen her angry. But the expression on her face right now…  
  
There was a coldness to it that spoke of a fury that she was barely keeping under control.  
  
Whoever had caused this was going to die, and by her hand if she had any say about it.  
  
“Hime?” He asked in concern. He almost flinched when she turned those glacial eyes on him. He pushed himself to his feet. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“That attack, I just got a call from Kou.” Asuna growled, “We think it’s Nephrite, but it could have been Zoicite.” Her eyes went to Aki. “I need to blow off some steam. So…” She grabbed the quarterstaff. “Fight me…” She said in a voice as calm as it was cold. “Fight me… _Father_.”  
  
Aki took a single step back in surprise. “Asuna-kun…” He stopped when he saw the blue eyes staring out from under amber bangs. “Serenity.”  
  
She launched herself across the room and attacked.  
  
Aki defended expertly. “What happened to make Asuna step back like this?”  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed as he watched the way his fiancée moved. A moment later, he was up and caught her. “Calm down, you aren’t thinking.” He said as Asuna struggled.  
  
Her quarterstaff fell from her hands and she turned to him, the blue rapidly draining from her eyes. Asuna let her head fall to his shoulder, “Kirito…” she breathed as her knees buckled and Kirito carefully lowered her to the floor.  
  
“What caused this to happen?” Aki asked as he came to stand behind them.  
  
Kirito looked up at his brother before turning his eyes back to Asuna. “Does it have anything to do with the attack on your parents that we thwarted?” He asked.  
  
Asuna took a deep breath. “I remember…” She shuddered, “A lesson. The lesson on anger.” She sniffed, “And… a few of the torture techniques…” Asuna’s complection had a slightly green hue to it.  
  
Kirito paled. “And you know to come to us when you are feeling that way.”  
  
She nodded, hiding her face in his chest.  
  
Aki grimaced, “Kazu, you are dismissed. Go spend some time with your daughters.” He noticed the look in Asuna's eyes, and on the rest of her face. “…Or you could just spend it in the bedroom.”  
  
Kirito's face went bright red. “Aki!” He hissed.  
  
Asuna didn’t say anything, but from the flush to her cheeks, she clearly heard him. And from how that flush deepened, he wouldn’t be surprised if Serenity’s memories were cheerfully ‘helping’ in giving her ideas.  
  
Though the fact that Serenity had come to the fore there, and had addressed _Heathcliff_ as father, was… Some memories came to the fore, memories that he was almost certain that had been kept from him by any lingering traces of Heathcliff there. Oh, so _that’s_ why.  
  
Well, that’s one suspicion he’s had for years confirmed.

* * *

  
  
**Alfheim Online: Floating City**  
  
Asuna pressed against her in-game husband, panting slightly as they came down from their shared high. “I don’t want to wait…” She breathed, nuzzling the base of his throat.  
  
“You know that I’d get in trouble for, ‘Sampling the Goods’.” He said as he lifted her up to look into her eyes.  
  
Asuna pouted down at Kirito before sighing. “Yeah, I know.”  
  
“Feeling better?” Kirito asked gently.  
  
“Not completely.” Asuna admitted. “But I am feeling much better than I _was_.” She gave him a strained smile. “I’m not in the mood to murder anyone anymore, that’s something, right?”  
  
“Your anger has gone from hot to cold.” Kirito told her. “We know exactly who it was.”  
  
“Don’t tell me just yet.” Asuna warned, “It might cause my temper to flare hot again.”  
  
Kirito smirked as he sat up, kissing her with a gentle passion. “I know, I don’t want you going cold on me again.” He chuckled as she squirmed against him playfully. “So, ready for another round?”  
  
“What do you think?” She asked impatiently before kissing him as hard as she could.

* * *

  
  
**May 17; Setagaya: Shopping District**  
  
Nephrite thought back on the target that he was searching for. He wasn’t even sure that target, one Li Syaoran, would be here. If he wasn’t, then he’d look elsewhere, but that could wait until later.  
  
“Andrew! Wait! You cheating tall person!” Nephrite turned, seeing a red haired young woman with startlingly green eyes shouting at a huge man with dark skin as she hurried to catch up to him.  
  
“It’s not my fault that you are so short Kathy!” Came Andrew’s booming laughter.  
  
“I’ll have you know that I’m as tall as Asuna!” Kathy shot back as she caught up and grabbed Andrew’s arm. “Cheating tall people…” She muttered with a pout.  
  
Andrew’s deep chuckles only faded when the pair were gone.


	25. Fun New Experiences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New experiences are supposed to be fun, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is only one translation today and that's the spell Luna(Usagi) uses:
> 
> Prakāśada ō bhaya, duṣkr̥tyada ī mōḍiyannu śud'dhīkarisuttade = O specter of radiance, cleanse this charm of the malevolence

**May 20, 2025; Kawagoe: Kawagoe Elementary**  
  
Umi was sitting in class, chatting happily with one of her friends. “My Aunt Skuggi is alive.”  
  
“Really?” Kagome asked, her eyes bright. “I thought your dad said that she’d died a long time ago.”  
  
“That’s what he thought.” Umi agreed, “But he was wrong. Aunt Skuggi was adopted, so I now also have an Uncle too! Uncle Rameses is really cool.”  
  
“Ramses?” Kagome asked, blinking. “As in that Egyptian Pharaoh?”  
  
“No, his name is _Rameses_.” Umi emphasized. “And he’s younger than Daddy.”  
  
They quieted down when the teacher returned to the podium. “Class, I am pleased to announce that the School Festival is coming up. I will now take suggestions on what our class should do.”  
  
Umi’s eyes went wide and she struggled not to bounce in her chair. She couldn’t wait to tell Mommy and Daddy! Maybe Aunt Skuggi and Uncle Rameses could come too? She raised her hand and waited to be called on. “Can we do a cafe with a maid and butler theme?” She suggested when the teacher called on her.  
  
“That’s a good suggestion, Umi-chan.” The teacher said, turning to write the suggestion on the board. “Are there any more?”  
  
One of the others raised their hand. “What about a barbeque?”  
  
The teacher wrote that down too.

* * *

  
  
**Tomoeda**  
  
Nephrite’s eyes narrowed as he found the young man he’d been looking for all week. “Finally!” He muttered. “And I still have a few days until he gets to the peak of his Energy Cycle.” Thank goodness.  
  
He meandered towards the young man and made sure to bump into him.  
  
Syaoran caught himself mid trip and turned, the charm he always had on hand falling to the ground. “Great…” he muttered, kneeling to pick it up.  
  
“Here, let me help you.” Nephrite said, picking the charm up. “Here.”  
  
Syaoran smiled. “Thank you.” He said, taking the charm back.  
  
Had Nephrite not turned away, he would have seen Syaoran’s eyes narrowing, as if he could feel that something was wrong.  
  


* * *

****

  
Syaoran pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Come on Sakura, pick up please.” He breathed as the phone rang and rang. Finally, it picked up. “Sakura.”  
  
 _“Syaoran-kun, what is it?”_ His fiancée enquired. _“You sound worried about something.”_  
  
“Where are you?” He asked urgently. “Something has happened.”  
  
 _“Something? What kind of something?”_ she asked urgently. _“Never mind, I’m with Tomoyo-chan. We’ll come find you.”_  
  
“I’ll meet you at the Penguin Park.” He replied, glancing down at the charm.  
  
 _“See you then.”_ She replied softly. _“Love you, Syaoran.”_  
  
“Love you too, Sakura.” He said before hanging up. He might not be able to tell what was wrong, but he knew something had been done to his family Heirloom.

* * *

  
  
**Penguin Park**  
  
Sasha flung her arms around her fiancé when she got to the park. “Are you ok?”  
  
“I’m fine, nothing is wrong, with me anyway.” Syaoran replied, returning the hug.  
  
“What does that mean?” Ashley asked.  
  
“Someone bumped into me when I was out getting groceries.” Syaoran grimaced. “He picked up the charm that hides my sword, and when he gave it back I could tell that something was wrong, though I can’t tell just what that might be.”  
  
Sasha frowned. “May I see?” she asked, holding a hand out for it.  
  
Syaoran dropped it into her hand and pulled it close to her eyes to examine it. “Grr, I wish I’d thought to pick up one of the _Appraisal Skills_ when I was playing SAO…” She muttered. “You are right, there is something on the Charm that doesn’t belong. I can’t tell what it is though.”  
  
“Would Luna be able to find out?” Ashley asked.  
  
Sasha turned to look at her friend. “Yes, I believe she would.” She agreed slowly. “I guess we are headed to Minato then.”  
  
“Luna?” Syaoran asked as they made their way to the bus stop.  
  
“We call her the _Jewelry Bunny_ , or _The Curse Spotter_.” Sasha told him. “She was a _Goldsmith_ in SAO, though there was no distinction between a Goldsmith and Blacksmith in game. If anyone will know what is wrong with your Charm, Luna will.”  
  
Syaoran nodded. “Alright.”

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Osa-P Jewelry**  
  
Sasha looked up at the store front and nodded. “This is the place, let’s go inside.”  
  
A bell rang as they entered and a familiar blonde greeted them. “Welcome to Osa-P Jewelry! I’m…” Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. “Sasha-sensei! What can I do for you this afternoon?”  
  
“Luna, I think one of the Generals has targeted my fiancé, Syaoran here.” Sasha said seriously.  
  
“Do you know who it was?” Luna asked seriously, her eyes narrowing.  
  
Sasha shook her head, “He cursed something that’s rather important to My Syaoran-kun.” She explained.  
  
“Well, give the item here and let me look at it then.” Luna replied, holding out a hand to receive whatever it was that had been cursed.  
  
Syaoran handed the charm to the blonde. “It’s a Family Heirloom, if anything happens to it…” He trailed off.  
  
“Leave everything to me.” Luna said cheerfully as she put the charm down on the glass and tapped it. Her eyes narrowing as she studied it. “Well, there is a curse laid over this thing.” She confirmed after a few moments. “It’s not pretty either.”  
  
“What’s wrong with it?” Syaoran demanded.  
  
“Calm down, it’s nothing I can’t fix.” Luna said calmly as a holographic keyboard appeared in front of her and she began typing. “I just need to get this message out first.”  
  
“What’s the bad news?” Sasha asked.  
  
“Nephrite was the one who laid the curse.” Luna replied as she sent the Memo. “But, as I said, it’s nothing that I can’t fix.” She held her hand over the charm. “Prakāśada ō bhaya, duṣkr̥tyada ī mōḍiyannu śud'dhīkarisuttade!” Luna called, bright white magic emanating from her hand and engulfed the charm.  
  
Sasha’s eyes narrowed, then she pulled out her Key. Without a word, she changed the Key to her staff. “Quiet Card, make sure that we don’t disturb the other customers!”  
  
And she pulled that off not a moment too soon, as a loud, inhuman screech echoed. A purple mist rising from the charm, only to be vanquished by Luna’s magic.  
  
“There.” Luna said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “It’s gone.”  
  
Sasha hugged Luna tightly. “Thank you so much, Luna!”  
  
“It’s no problem, Sasha.” Luna squeaked. “I’d be pissed too, if it had been Dynamm.”

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Zoicite growled as he glared at the Dark Crystal that he and Kunzite had developed to find the Seven Great Youma. The damned thing didn’t work. What was he supposed to do now that his Partner was dead?  
  
But back to the problem at hand. The Dark Crystal wasn’t working, and he wasn’t sure why. The Youma had to be in Tokyo, but there was no way to tell where in Tokyo they were. Two years ago, they’d all dropped off the radar.  
  
He’d known where almost all of them were and was just waiting to pick them up when they started dropping off the map.  
  
He couldn’t even be sure where Jiji was, and Jiji was unlikely to move from where he had been last located. He had to still be at the Hikawa Shrine, but considering that Sailor Mars was _always_ quick to respond every time anything happened near there, she was most likely living close by. And with how their luck had been going recently, she probably lived there. And really, that would be just his luck at this point.  
  
Boxy, was another problem. The guy was a priest, and while he doubted that anyone in this day and age knew how to counter magic outside of the Senshi, he wasn’t going to count on that. There was also the problem that there were not that many churches in Japan and it was unlikely that he would be able to get in, change the man into a Youma, and bring him back without being noticed.  
  
He was sure that Rikuokiadar was still at that cafe and Arcade, but he would have to go and check to make sure. Great, he had to do all that work again.  
  
And he wasn’t going to have the help of this stupid Crystal a second time.

* * *

  
  
**May 23; Shintokyo: SAO Returnee School**  
  
“Sasha-chan, are you sure this is the place?” Ashley asked as they stood in front of the school Sasha had been researching.  
  
“Yes, it’s not too bad, considering that they had to scramble to get it set up in time.” Sasha replied. “The building was slated for destruction because it’s outdated, but the buildings are still sound.”  
  
“Well that’s good, we’d have to kill a few people if they weren’t.” Ashley joked before her eyes widened when she saw a few of the students walking around. “Sasha… I am going to _kill_ something…” She growled, her eyes narrowing.  
  
“Hoe?” Sasha blinked, turning to look at the kids. “Eh?”  
  
“ _Who was the colorblind_ moron _that designed that shitty uniform?”_ Ashley hissed angrily.  
  
“Whoever it is…” Sasha grimaced, “Tomoyo-chan, no killing.”  
  
“Ah, but _Sasha_ …” Ashley whined.  
  
“Tomoyo-chan, killing them would be a release.” Sasha pointed out calmly. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather make them suffer?”  
  
Ashley paused to think about what her best friend had just said before grinning cheerfully. “You do love me!”  
  
“How many times do I have to tell you that you are not allowed to interview me without an adult I trust present?” Came the sound of a very irritated Commander Kirito. “No comment!”  
  
Ashley and Sasha turned to look and saw their young friend walking out of the school, followed closely by Kikuoka Seijirou. “Tomoyo-chan, who is that?” Sasha asked.  
  
“He’s the man that was in charge of the SAO Task Force.” Ashley said blandly. “And it looks to me as if he is poking our adorable Dragon of a Commander.”  
  
“Perhaps we should go save him then.” Sasha mused.  
  
“Who would we be saving, the Commander or the idiot government worker?” Ashley joked.  
  
“Yes,” Sasha replied.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito was just barely restraining himself. Why couldn’t he get the hint already? Why could Kikuoka-san not just leave him alone? His restraint was slipping.  
  
“Afternoon, Commander,” a familiar and very welcome voice called.  
  
Kirito perked up. “Afternoon, Sasha-sensei, Ashley.” He called back, making a beeline for the two older Survivors. “What are the two of you doing here?”  
  
“We came to visit you and Asuna-hime of course!” Sasha said with a grin. “Has Kikuoka-san been bothering you?”  
  
“ _Yes_.” Kirito hissed. “I wish he would leave me alone already. I am not at liberty to discuss anything, not without permission from both Asuna-hime and Heathcliff.”  
  
Kikuoka rounded the corner and stopped when he saw Sasha and Ashley flanking the kid he wanted to talk to most. And there was a reason why he wanted to talk to Kirito alone. Thwarted again it seems. He’d have to think of another way. “Ladies.” He greeted carefully.  
  
Ashley gave him a smile that had a lot of teeth, “Kikuoka-san, who designed this uniform?”  
  
A feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. “Why does that matter, Daidouji-san?” He asked slowly.  
  
“Because I am Ashley the Tailor,” Ashley replied. “And, to put it politely, the Uniform is an eyesore.”  
  
Kikuoka started to sweat. “Um…”  
  
“From your reaction,” Sasha mused, “It looks like _you_ were the one to put it together…”  
  
Kikuoka swallowed.  
  
“Ashley, remember, no killing.” Sasha said mildly.  
  
“Of course.” Ashley chirped, taking a few steps forward. “I’m sure the government needs him for _something_.”  
  
“If you can manage to get them to redo the uniforms, I’ll be very happy.” Kirito called after her. “The less white the better.”  
  
“Noted, Commander.” Ashley chirped as she pulled Kikuoka away.  
  
“Thanks for the save, Sasha,” Kirito said. “Maybe this will have him take the hint that I don’t want him to approach me without a very good reason.”  
  
Sasha chuckled. “Has he told you why he wants to chat?”  
  
“No, but I don’t care.” Kirito shrugged. “I have work to do and not nearly enough time to humor him yet.” Kirito looked back to where Ashley was talking with the man. “I have reason to believe, though, that he wants to know about the instances of our magic awakening. And perhaps something about Kunzite too.”  
  
“Perhaps he wants to know if that can be replicated.” Sasha said thoughtfully.  
  
“Then why not just use ALO, it serves the same function.” Kirito muttered. “I’ve already talked to Boxy about killing that Zombie anyway, I don’t need that brought up again. We were lucky that he was one of the ones that truly didn’t believe Kayaba.”  
  
“Yes. That would have been a disaster.” Sasha agreed. “Perhaps you can humor him and his superiors after we’ve handled what’s on our plates.”  
  
“I can only hope that they will wait that long, since we don’t know how long it will take to clean up the mess.” Kirito agreed.  
  
Ashley looked quite chipper as she rejoined them. “I managed to convince him to let me redesign the uniforms!” She sang. “You will have to put up with what you have for the Semester, but after that… You’ll get uniforms that aren’t clashing!”  
  
“Nice!” Sasha grinned.  
  
“Thank the Goddesses for small mercies!” Kirito sighed in relief. Ashley was the best!

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Yoruhokōsha Residence**  
  
“Daddy!” Umi called when she got back from school. “Guess what, guess what!”  
  
“Ok, what is it, Umi?” Her father asked.  
  
“The school Festival is soon!” Uni gushed. “And my class decided that we are going to do a Maid Cafe!”  
  
Solbjoem took a moment to think about what his daughter would look like, all dressed up and vowed to remember to bring a camera, which was a really sad substitute for an Imaging Crystal, but it was the best he had access to. And if she was as cute as he thought she would be, he was going to need a really big stick, or club, when she got older. “I think your Aunt Skuggi and Uncle Rameses would probably like to join us at the Festival this year. I doubt they’ve ever been to a school festival.”  
  
“That’s a wonderful idea Daddy!” Umi agreed, “I’ll ask for extra tickets this year.”  
  
Solbjoem ruffled her hair. “Go tell your mother.”  
  
“Don’t do that Daddy.” Umi pouted as she tried to put her hair back in order as she wandered off to find her mother.  
  
Solbjoem shook his head in amusement as he opened his Mystic Tome and scrolled through his Contact List, looking for his sister’s name. Finding it, he started to draft a note. With how excitable his daughter was, it was better to give Skuggi a heads up. Umi was likely to not slow down enough for her aunt and uncle to follow she seemed to be so excited.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Kebechet blinked as she opened the message from her older brother and read it. “School Festival?” She wondered out loud. “What does that have to do with anything?”  
  
What was there to even do at one? Aincrad’s schools didn’t have that kind of thing. Then again, they were all more worried about keeping Aincrad floating than something as frivolous sounding as a school festival. Not that there weren’t festivals on Aincrad, there were, but why would a school throw one?  
  
Not that either she or Rameses would really know, as the two had stopped going to school after their parents died, instead deciding to start learning what they could to help out in order to distract them from their grief, as well as become self-sufficient. They still continued their education, their ages meant that they had to, but they were allowed to do it via the correspondence learning. Well, once they had shown that they met the basic education requirements that everyone in the Empire had to meet.  
  
They were behind those in their age group that continued traditional schooling, but their situation was far from unique for many Aincrad’s youth. And even without schooling, it wasn’t as if they stopped learning anyway.  
  
Still, going to it might be fun. She got up from her seat and went to look for her younger brother.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Hey Rameses!” Kebechet called when she found him in the yard.  
  
“Oh, hey Skuggi, what’s up?” Rameses asked, looking up from sweeping.  
  
“Our niece has a School Festival coming up.” Kebechet said.  
  
“What’s that?” Rameses asked. “Why would a school put on a festival when there are better things to do with their resources.”  
  
Kebechet shrugged. “I don’t know, but it sounds like something that might be fun to go to.”

* * *

  
  
**May 24; Kawagoe: Kawagoe Elementary**  
  
Kebechet and Rameses got off the bus within walking distance of Umi’s school, both glad that they had clothing that didn’t stand out too much and could be passed off as them being clearly foreign, which was true. Well, that and make sure that they knew exactly which busses to take and at what times to get here.  
  
Thank the Goddesses for Silica being able to help them plot the route and times, and that they finally got around to changing the times on their chronometers to reflect the local times.  
  
Solbjoem smiled when he saw the two of them. “Ready for a fun new experience?” He asked, holding out two tickets for the pair to take.  
  
“How is this going to be fun?” Kebechet asked, taking a ticket and handing the other to Rameses.  
  
“You’ll see,” her older brother said. “Follow me.”  
  
Kebechet and Rameses shared a look before following the older Spriggan into the school. “What are you looking for?” Kebechet asked when they caught up with him.  
  
“My daughter’s classroom, they are putting on a cafe with a maid and butler theme behind it,” Solbjoem replied as he read the numbers over the classrooms as they passed them.  
  
“What’s that?” Kebechet asked in confusion.  
  
Solbjoem turned to look at his little sister. “Oh, that’s right, you wouldn’t know since you haven’t been on Earth all that long have you?” He started to grin in amusement. “The two of you are going to enjoy this.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Umi perked up when she heard her father’s voice coming closer. “Daddy!” She called excitedly. She was wearing a frilly little maid dress with a white apron on over it, with a bow tied around her collar. In a light purple. She had a white and light purple frilly headband on her head. She was wearing white tights on her feet and matching purple shoes.  
  
“There is my adorable little maid!” Daddy said with a smile as he pulled out his phone to take pictures. “Aren’t you cute.”  
  
“Daddy~!” Umi pouted. “Have you seen Mommy yet?” She asked curiously before yelping when she was suddenly scooped up.  
  
“My Niece is _so adorable!_ ” Kebechet cooed, hugging the girl tightly.  
  
“Aunt Skuggi! Let go!” Umi pouted. “Put me down.”  
  
“No. You are just too cute!” Kebechet nuzzled her niece’s cheek.  
  
Solbjoem chuckled as he continued to take pictures. He knew Skuggi wouldn’t be able to resist hugging his daughter in that adorable outfit.  
  
“Where did the outfit come from?” Rameses asked, his amused smirk etched on his face. As Umi’s partner led them into the classroom.  
  
There was an explosion outside, not far from the school.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Zoicite smirked as he looked over the medium size force of Youma that he had gathered together. Their operations had been significantly impacted with Jadeite dead and the Senshi getting effective support, but he noticed the relative ages of most of the Senshi’s help.  
  
They were all mostly young, around the ages that the Senshi might have been when they first started fighting back. Which meant that a significant number of them, including several who had proven themselves to be especially effective, would otherwise be occupied right now and unable to respond in time. Now, where should they attack first?  
  
Well… there was one place that wouldn’t have any protection at all, and a successful operation would _hurt_ the morale of the Dark Kingdom’s enemies.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kawagoe Elementary**  
  
The explosion and the screams made Rameses rush to the window to see what was going on. As he arrived at the window and was about to look, Umi got his attention.  
  
“Uncle Rameses, what’s going on?” She asked in Alvarin, knowing that both he and her aunt were still learning Japanese.  
  
Rameses looked out the window. “Well, I would say that we have some guests who want to make their own contribution to the festivities,” he said to his niece in the same language before turning to Kebechet. “Skuggi, send a message out. We have a lot of Youma here, along with Zoicite and request backup. After that, I think that you, your brother, and I should grab their attention by giving our newest arrivals an _Aincrad Welcome_.”


	26. Festival Battles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School Festivals are supposed to be fun... Not, filled with violence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this chapter has a few translations in it. Every single word is a taunt at Zoicite and would not work if it were in Japanese/English.
> 
> Brenna óvini mína í eldi í helvíti = Burn my enemies in the fires of Hell
> 
> Árás á skóla, Eru þeir svo sorglegt að þau eini sem þeir geta barist eru börn? = Attacking a school. Are they so pathetic that the only ones they can fight are children?
> 
> Jæja, einn þeirra gerði að drepa einn fyrir löngu, Skuggi, = Well, one of them did kill one not long ago, Skuggi.
> 
> Dóttir mín gerði það gott/Frænka mín er ógnvekjandi svona. = My daughter did good there./My niece is awesome like that.
> 
> Idīga nīvu ellā mr̥duvāgi phak mattu sāyuttāre = Now if you would all kindly fuck off and die.
> 
> Minna spjall meira berjast, stórbróðir = less chatting, more fighting big brother
> 
> Þú gætir hafa brugðist við lækninum Hakonia í staðinn bróður. = You could be dealing with Healer Hakonia instead, brother.
> 
> Tha se skotóso, korítsi = I am going to kill you, bastard.
> 
> I psychí mou kaíei tóso éntona óso o ílios = My soul burns as brightly as the sun.
> 
> Na sas kapsei o gios tou mia tsoúla. = Burn you son of a bitch.

**Kawagoe Elementary**  
  
“Daddy?” Umi asked, turning to look at her father.  
  
Solbjoem’s dark eyes narrowed as he looked out the window. “Rameses, Skuggi, we need to get out there.” He turned to look down at his daughter, “Umi, keep everyone inside. Don’t come out until we tell you to.”  
  
“But--” Umi tried to complain.  
  
“No Umi.” Said Solbjoem. “As a Royal Guardsman, it is my job to protect the people from monsters like the Youma. It doesn’t matter if the Empire is gone now. I serve the Princess, even if I am out of practice.”  
  
Umi pouted.  
  
“I know you wanted us to have fun here.” Her father continued. “And I’m sure we will. But we need to protect the school.”  
  
“M’K.” Uni pouted.  
  
Kebechet and Rameses gave him a nod when he looked at them as they left the classroom. They just hoped that they could take care of this as quickly as could be allowed. He may be ten years removed from his training, since he’d been living as a civilian for the last decade, but he still remembered how things were done.  
  


* * *

****

  
Solbjoem opened his Mystic Tome and composed a short message to send to Captain Heathcliff.  
  
“So, we get to kill a bunch of Youma then?” Kebechet asked.  
  
Rameses huffed. “This is eating into the time we want to spend with Umi.”  
  
“All the more reason to finish as fast as possible.” Solbjoem replied as he pulled the gear he had gotten from Rameses out of Storage. His armor appeared over his clothes, while his new sword appeared at his waist.  
  
Kebechet and Rameses followed his example as they made their way to the roof.  
  
Kebechet looked down and whistled. “That’s... a lot of Youma.” She muttered, looking to her brothers. “Think we can take them?”  
  
“We don’t need to for very long.” Solbjoem said, “The Captain and a few others are on their way.”  
  
“Then let’s get busy.” Kebechet said quietly in Alvarin.  
  
“We’ll need to head to the gates.” Rameses said. “ _Very_ enthusiastically. But first… _Brenna óvini mína í eldi í helvíti_.” He chanted in Graelic, the words of power forming around him until he sent out a large fireball into a group of Youma.  
  


* * *

****

  
Zoicite blinked in shock as he saw a group of a dozen Youma got incinerated from above. He looked up and saw three figures standing on the roof of the school, with the afternoon sun shining behind them. From the profiles of their silhouettes, one was female, but _not_ one of the Senshi. The other two were male.  
  
“ _Árás á skóla,_ ” The female of the group said. “ _Eru þeir svo sorglegt að þau eini sem þeir geta barist eru börn?_ ”  
  
“ _Jæja, einn þeirra gerði að drepa einn fyrir löngu, Skuggi,_ ” One of the males, clearly a teen, replied drily.  
  
“ _Dóttir mín gerði það gott/Frænka mín er ógnvekjandi svona_.” The other two replied in unison.  
  
What was with his luck all of a sudden? Everything had changed when SAO had gone live. Not at first, but as it went on, things started going wrong. Any attempts to directly harvest the victims of his plan due to the time it was taking met with failure, then Kunzite died last August, and shortly after the New Year, their operations were getting consistently thwarted, culminating in Jadeite getting killed by a _boy_.  
  
And with a _Sword Skill_ of all things! Who taught- no, never mind that. That was the wrong question. Zoicite just wasn’t sure what the _right question_ was. He needed to figure that out. But later, since he had to coordinate this attack.  
  
“Who the Hell are you?” He asked.  
  
“I am the father of one of the students here,” the final member, clearly older than the other two, replied. “My companions are my sister and her adoptive brother. They’re here visiting Japan.”  
  
“Hi, we’re from Aincrad,” the boy said, giving a mocking wave at Zoicite and his Youma. “ _Idīga nīvu ellā mr̥duvāgi phak mattu sāyuttāre._ ”  
  
“Minna spjall meira berjast, stórbróðir!” The girl demanded of the oldest male.  
  
“Demanding little sister.” The man said.  
  
The girl sent her brother a glare before rolling her eyes. “Þú gætir hafa brugðist við lækninum Hakonia í staðinn bróður.” She told him matter-of-factly, causing both males to shudder at the name. She grinned.  
  
“You do know that she can teleport to the place her name has been said right?” The man said in jest, causing his sister to grin back cheerfully.  
  
“I aim to please.” She replied in Japanese.  
  
Zoicite bristled as he listened to the conversation. Here he was, a _Shitennou_ , one of Queen Beryl’s generals, with a large number of Youma at his beck and call, and they were standing there and joking?!  
  
“I think we’ve bantered long enough.” The man said, “Shall we show them how this is done?”  
  
“Yes,” the boy said. “Let’s welcome them to this school’s festival.”  
  
“ _Aincrad Style.”_ The girl finished.  
  
Zoicite growled. “Attack!” He commanded, and the Youma surged forward.  
  
The three drew their weapons and leapt off the roof. Within moments, the only sounds outside of the school were the roars of the Youma, magic flying off, and the sounds of weapons.

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
Akihiko tapped the holographic button and was out of his chair a moment later. He checked his Inventory to make sure that he had everything but chose not to equip anything just yet. He left a note for Rinko and left.  
  
It was going to take a while to get to the school in question, but that was just how it was in Tokyo. Why did this have to happen on a Saturday when Kirito and Asuna were stuck in school?  
  
Heathcliff held back a sigh as he left the house, messaging one of the few he knew would be free to meet him at the school.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe Elementary**  
  
Umi was glued to the window, her eyes wide in awe as she watched her Daddy fight. _This is him out of practice?_ She thought in awe as his movements and attacks flowed and took down three Youma. She could see her Aunt Skuggi throwing balls of water and shadow at the Youma, thinning their ranks, only using her own weapon when they got close. And Uncle Rameses was sticking to using his sword after he had launched another fireball at the Youma.  
  
Her Daddy was so amazing!  
  
“Wow, Umi, your dad, aunt and uncle are _awesome_!”  
  
Umi turned to look at the person who had spoken. “They are, aren’t they?” She asked with a grin.  
  
The boy, Yuusuke gave her a grin. “I didn’t know that your dad could use Magic like the Senshi, and your aunt and uncle can as well?!”  
  
“Well, not _like_ the Senshi,” Umi said. “But yeah.”  
  
“I see someone behind the Youma!” Her friend Kagome said. Umi turned back to watching.  
  
They were a bunch of older guys. They were all dressed similarly to her Daddy and tearing into the mob of Youma from behind. The Bullies deserved it.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Nice of you to make it to the party, Captain!” Rameses shouted cheerfully. “So you _did_ get Solbjoem’s invitation!”  
  
“Sorry I’m a bit late,” Heathcliff replied, his arming sword taking out three Youma one after another. “But better late than never. How have the three of you been holding up?”  
  
“Eh, could be worse.” Solbjoem replied as he cut another Youma in half, turning it to dust. “You know full well how much worse it could be.”  
  
“Oh yes,” Kebechet growled. “And I owe them for killing our parents all those years ago. Come on you fuckers, I have some shit to work through!”  
  
“And to think you are out of practice.” Heathcliff said to Solbjoem with a grin.  
  
“Fuck you Captain!” Solbjoem muttered as he killed another Youma.  
  
“Your wife might object to that.” Heathcliff shot back.  
  
“Or she might say she wants to watch,” Rameses said, making the two stop and look at him.  
  
“Thank you for volunteering to be Ashley’s next dress-up doll, Rameses,” Heathcliff cheerfully said. “I will make sure that the Princess knows and informs Miss Hino as well.”  
  
Kebechet laughed at her brother’s expression. “Serves you right, little brother.”  
  
“Oh, shut up, Skuggi!” Rameses demanded as he sent another fireball at the Youma.  
  
“Watch your output young man, this fight isn’t yet over,” Heathcliff chided.  
  
“I’m working at it!” Rameses snarled. That was a bit of a sore point, since he hadn’t managed to decrease his magic output yet. Start with more and break it up into smaller bits? Yes. He even worked out a way to reduce the output once he was actually using it. But starting small was still eluding him.  
  
The Youma managed to separate them a few moments later.  
  


* * *

****

  
Zoicite snarled as he watched more join the fight. It was time for him to join the battle. He pulled out the saber at his side and disappeared into the confusing mob of Youma. Now he just had to pick a target. How about the boy? Since the one he _really_ wanted to kill wasn’t around, the boy would do well for a substitute.  
  
He had a lot of anger to work through. With that in mind, Zoicite made his way towards the boy.  
  


* * *

****

  
It was instincts that were the result of spending as much time in Aincrad’s wilds as he had that kept Rameses from being opened up from shoulder to hip. He turned abruptly and brought his sword up, catching Zoicite’s saber. Zoicite’s attack came down with so much force that he could barely deflect the attack. Why had the Zombie come after him?  
  
“So, I see you aren’t all show,” Zoicite said in heavily accented Lunarian as Rameses quickly backed away.  
  
Rameses glared at the Zombie, and remembered what Kirito had said about going up against someone who had more skill.  
  
Focus on surviving and keep things simple. A basic sword skill was just as deadly as a more advanced one when used correctly. Don’t try and block the blade, deflect and parry. Perhaps he should try that. Keep moving and keep your feet on the ground as much as possible. He firmed his stance and didn’t take his eyes off the General. Why had Zoicite decided to attack this particular school?  
  
Had it been at random? Or had this school been chosen for a specific reason?  
  
Zoicite couldn’t know about Umi, could he?  
  
“I didn’t expect one of you to be here, let alone three,” Zoicite said as he slashed with his sword.  
  
Rather than block or try to parry, Rameses stepped back and the attack went by him. His attempt to attack was quickly and almost negligently parried and he was forced to step back again to avoid the general’s own counter.  
  
“What of it?” Rameses growled.  
  
“Merely an observation, nothing more,” Zoicite replied. “After all, your reason for being here was explained. You have family here attending as a student. Your niece, I believe. My intent wasn’t to kill anyone, you can’t drain a corpse, after all.” He smiled cruelly. “But in this case, once I take care of all of you, I will find her. And I will have my Youma drain her until she is nothing more than a husk. And if they’re allowed to do that once, it will take some time to restrain them from doing it again, so who knows how many more will perish.”  
  
“ _Tha se skotóso, korítsi,”_ Rameses growled out in Graelic. He could feel his magic respond to his emotions, beginning to pulse and boil in tune with the anger he was feeling and barely within his ability to control.  
  
“I don’t _need_ to understand the language to know what you just said,” Zoicite said with a smirk. “How cute, threatening to kill me. And just how will you do that? Time is wasting, boy. The longer this takes, the more that may die.”  
  
Rameses could feel his magic, already on a thin tether, snap out of his control and boil out in a very visible pulse.  
  
“Oho,” Zoicite said mockingly. “Touched a nerve, I see.”  
  
Rameses barely kept himself from lashing out blindly. He had been told to not use the spell he had when that Poltergeist tried to go through him, and he wouldn’t. That was something made with the knowledge that he was already dead, and he was simply choosing how. It was sheer luck that Princess Persephone awakened as the Guardian of Saturn and kept him from dying. But that wasn’t the only spell that his parents taught him. They had taught him others, ones which didn’t have the guarantee of killing him in the process.  
  
Injuring him? Almost certainly. He was still going to be using more magic than was safe for him as far as he knew, and doing so often resulted injury more often than not. But a certainty of injury wasn’t a certainty of death.  
  
“You want to know how?” He asked. “ _I psychí mou kaíei tóso éntona óso o ílios_.”  
  
Zoicite took several steps back as magic burst out of his body. He didn’t look particularly worried.   
  
Rameses would have felt insulted, but that lack of worry and even caution also spoke of the man thinking that this didn’t change the outcome of the fight. It was arrogance, pure and simple. Even someone confident that he would still win would show a little caution. _And that arrogance is going to cost you,_ Rameses thought viciously.  
  
Then again, these Zombies weren’t known for being wise. Skilled and dangerous, but not wise. Two had died at the hands of someone who was _not_ a Guardian. It didn’t matter how much luck played a role in giving Kirito the opening needed to do so, the fact remained.  
  
A normal, if unusually skilled for his age, human had killed two of their numbers, meaning that they were not as powerful or invulnerable as they thought they were. Not taking that into account was going to cost this corpse!  
  
Seeing that Rameses seemed like he wasn’t going to do anything, Zoicite stepped forward to engage Rameses again.  
  
Rameses smirked when he saw his sister making her way towards them. Zoicite was not going to survive this attack. He parried Zoicite’s attack as best he could.  
  
Zoicite broke off to deflect Kebechet’s blade and Rameses took his chance. All the magic he had been holding back started channeling into his sword. A moment later, he was standing next to his sister with his back to Zoicite. He’d used a basic _Horizontal_ to cleave the Zombie in half at the waist.  
  
Zoicite screamed as his body fell into two separate pieces. His lower half disintegrated into ashes, but his upper half remained.  
  
“Oh boy, what did he do to make you that angry?” Solbjoem asked in amusement. Coming up to stand next to the youth whose family adopted his sister.  
  
“He said something about using the Youma to kill Umi.”  
  
Solbjoem twitched, “He said _what_?” The man growled angrily.  
  
“Rameses, kill that damned Zombie before he decides to leave.” Kebechet reminded him. “They can teleport away you know.”  
  
Rameses gave his sister a nod and began to walk toward the still screaming upper half of Zoicite.  
  
Zoicite clearly noticed his approach as his screams quieted and he shot Rameses a baleful look. “My Queen will take her time with you, boy,” he said. “And she will make your death a tale spoken of in whispers.”  
  
“But you won’t be there,” Rameses said coldly as he reversed the grip on his blade. “And I doubt she’d get through the Commander or Princess anyway.” He said coldly, thrusting his sword into Zoicite’s head and channeled his fire magic through it. “ _Na sas kapsei o gios tou mia tsoúla._ ”  
  
Zoicite’s corpse gave an unearthly scream as what was left of him was turned to ash.  
  
The sound of the scream sent shivers of unease down the spines of everyone that heard it.  
  
“That sound,” Kebechet shivered, hugging herself for a moment.  
  
“Yeah, It reminds me of something from Aincrad.” Solbjoem said. “Not sure exactly what monster it is but I think this needs to be reported.” He looked to the side. “And lucky for us, Captain Heathcliff is here.”  
  
“Very funny, Guardsman.” Heathcliff deadpanned as he came to a stop. “Was there any particular reason that you all just happened to be here when the attack happened?”  
  
“My daughter attends this school.” Solbjoem replied. “And we thought that this would be a fun diversion for Skuggi and Rameses, since I really doubt the schools back on Aincrad have anything like these Festivals. And it could be a good test, to see what they need to work on with their Japanese usage.”  
  
Rameses breathed in heavily. “I remember that sound,” he said, his face pale. “I remember that sound all too well. And… we need to send a message to Aincrad, _now_.”  
  
They all looked at him.  
  
“That sound… Skuggi, remember what happened last Awakening?”  
  
Kebechet nodded. “Oh yeah, I remember, considering that you needed your arm reattached and nearly lost the other one after blowing a hole clear through the eighty-fifth floor to kill a nest of Sword Wraiths...” she said. She paused as she thought about what she had just said. After a moment of silence, she started swearing profusely.  
  
Rameses nodded. “That sound was far too like a Sword Wraith’s screams,” he said.  
  
“Sword Wraiths, _here_?” Heathcliff asked, his face going very pale. “That shouldn’t be possible!”  
  
“Worse,” Rameses said. “Sword Wraiths have been around for a long time, from long before The Fall, and no one knows how they came about. Only that they’ve been there, and have been a constant menace. Whoever’s bright idea it was to have even a small population of them on Aincrad, there had to be a reason.”  
  
If the four Generals were actually Sword Wraiths, then they were a lot luckier than Heathcliff had first thought. He certainly didn’t remember when they’d been brought to Aincrad, they’d always been there. “If the four Generals are Sword Wraiths and not Zombies as we all have believed, what does that mean?” Heathcliff asked slowly. “What does that make the Beryl behind this? Or even whatever Entity that may be behind even her?”  
  
Solbjoem, Kebechet and Rameses all paled at the implication.  
  
“Let’s focus on something else for the time being,” Solbjoem said. “I need to check on my daughter, and Rameses is going to need to sit down soon. And probably a healing crystal as well. Using that amount of magic at his age going to hurt like a bitch once the adrenaline wears off.”  
  
“Trust me, I know,” Rameses said with a grimace. He moved and hissed in pain. “I am going to be feeling this for awhile.”  
  
“You mean to tell me that you’ve done this _before_?” Solbjoem asked, turning to his sister’s adoptive brother. “When was this?” He demanded.  
  


* * *

****

  
The classroom was silent as everyone who had been watching saw the fight end. After a long moment of silence, everyone burst into applause.  
  
Umi sagged as she sighed in relief. Her Daddy might be the best, but that didn’t mean that watching him go into danger wasn’t scary.  
  
“Um, Umi?” Umi looked up at her friend Kagome.  
  
“Yes Kagome-chan?” Umi answered.  
  
“Do me a favor and remind me to never get your uncle angry with me.” Kagome said, all their classmates nodding along in agreement.  
  
A moment later the door to the classroom opened, revealing her Daddy, aunt, uncle and one other. The one her Daddy had called Captain Heathcliff.  
  
“Daddy!” Umi almost shouted, jumping on him. “Are you OK Daddy?”  
  
Solbjoem chuckled as he easily supported his daughter’s weight. “I’m fine Umi,” he said. “Thankfully no one was hurt,” He eyed her uncle, “Too badly anyway.”  
  
Umi looked at Rameses. “He doesn’t look hurt,” she said.  
  
Solbjoem. “It’s not like he was injured, but he used a lot more magic than he should have,” he said.


	27. Discussing Road Trips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone brings dire news to Aincrad. Sword Wraiths are on Earth...

**May 21, 2025; Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
“What did you just say that Rameses has done?” Asuna asked from where she was sitting on Aki’s couch. “Outside of killing Zoicite, that is. I got a call from Silica informing me that Lind is seriously considering recruiting him into the DDA the moment I inform him that he is now one of my soldiers, Kebechet as well. Those two impressed him. And there was something about him and Schivata now owing her a hundred yen.”  
  
“He used a spell that he should not have, seeing that he still hasn’t figured out how to decrease his magical output yet.” Aki said, handing her a soda. “I had already volunteered him to be Ashley’s Dress-up doll for the next few days, in light of some comments he made but I believe that the final decision as to how long it lasts should be up to you. On a more positive note, he wasn’t injured from it outside of the kind of injuries common to magical overexertion.”  
  
Kirito yawned as he curled up on the couch next to Asuna, his head in her lap. “That was stupid of him.” He said quietly as Aki placed a plate with snacks on the table. “I think I’ve done that myself…”  
  
“You did in SAO.” Aki reminded him.  
  
“So _that’s why_ I was so tired.” Kirito chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not fun when you overexert yourself. But no, I meant I’ve made comments that I shouldn’t have.”  
  
Asuna nodded as she took a sip of her soda. “Well, he and Kebechet are now a part of my Army.” She said, carding her fingers through Kirito’s hair. “And make sure that her brother gets back into shape, he’s a part of this too. He will retain his rank as a member of the Royal Guard once he gets back up to standard, not as a member of my Army, or whatever we end up calling it. Don’t question me on this, Captain. For all that they are doing well, none of them have been properly trained for the duty, nor are they qualified. And the decision on their qualifications is not yours from what I recall from _her_ memories.” She looked thoughtful for a few moments. “And yes I agree with you about Ashley. She needs someone to model the Uniforms that she’s working on anyway.”  
  
“Uniforms?” Aki asked curiously. “What would she be making uniforms for?”  
  
“She and Sasha saved me from Kikuoka’s prying.” Kirito said, his eyes closed. “They got him to finally leave me alone. And Ashley talked him into allowing her to redesign those eyesores they were daring to call school uniforms. The less white I have to wear the better.”  
  
Asuna giggled, “You are much too pale to make white work.” She agreed. “And knowing her, she will design them so that they can work as uniforms for the rest of the Army with some easy modification.”  
  
Kirito seemed to purr under her ministrations. “I don’t, but you make everything look nice. And you look good in white anyway.”  
  
Asuna smirked down at him. “Thank you.”  
  
Kirito’s eyes opened slightly. “I know that smirk…” He began. “What are you planning, Asuna-hime.”  
  
“Oh, I don’t know…” She eyed the way he was lounging against her. “Rameses’ punishment for one…” Her grin widened, “And maybe something for you.”  
  
Kirito stared at her for a moment, “As long as it’s mostly darker colors,” he said.  
  
“Anyway, Zoicite is dead,” Asuna paused when she saw Aki’s expression. “Just how lucky were we, Captain?”  
  
“At this point, I’d say we are far luckier than I initially believed to be _alive,_ ” he said.  
  
“What does that mean?” Kirito asked as he sat up, causing Asuna to pout at the loss of warmth. “Something has happened, and you are going to tell us.” He ordered.  
  
Aki grimaced. “I have reason to believe that we are not actually dealing with Zombies, as I initially thought we were.” He looked to Asuna, “Or not entirely. You never actually fought these monsters, but I know that Serenity has watched Heathcliff deal with them. You would have had to deal with them once you’d gotten passed the ninetieth floor in SAO, had we gotten there.”  
  
Asuna’s face went stark white. “You can’t mean _Sword Wraiths_!” She protested. She then saw the expression on Aki’s face. “You do. Oh... _fuck_.”  
  
“Quite.” Aki replied, “And if Sword Wraiths are here on Earth, then that means that we need to contact Aincrad.”  
  
Asuna swallowed. “I’ll call Persephone.” She said as she opened her Mystic Tome and chose the Message Function.  
  


* * *

****

  
Half an hour later there was a knock on the door. And Aki got up to answer it. “Come in, Persephone.” He said, standing to one side of the door.  
  
“Thank you Captain.” The Guardian of Saturn said as she stepped inside and pulled her shoes off before making her way inside. “What was so urgent?” She asked curiously.  
  
She chuckled when she heard Kirito yelp as he was pulled back down by his fiancée.  
  
“Asuna-hime what are you--”  
  
“Relax,” Asuna whispered in his ear.  
  
“You cheater.” Kirito muttered, pouting as his eyes closed and his body went almost boneless.  
  
Ēkate leapt up onto Kirito’s stomach incredibly lightly for a cat of his size and settled himself down, purring deeply when Kirito’s other hand started scratching under his chin.  
  
Asuna grinned winningly down at him before turning her attention to Persephone.”Come join us, Persephone.”  
  
Persephone sat down grinning in amusement when she saw the way Kirito was lounging. “Since when was your Consort your pet?”  
  
“Since always.” Asuna replied almost carelessly, using her fingertips to stroke Kirito’s hair, including the base of his neck, causing Kirito to shift slightly. “We have a big problem, Persephone. Do you remember the Sword Wraiths?”  
  
“Those OP monsters that live above the ninetieth floor?” Persephone asked in confusion. “What about them, Asuna?”  
  
“They might be here on Earth,” Asuna said “In fact, that’s more likely than not at this point. Rameses has confirmed the possibility that they are here.” She looked at Heathcliff. “If you would?”  
  
Heathcliff nodded. “Apparently he was hunted by them the last time he was Awake- that is the term he and his sister use for those times they were out of stasis- and the scream Zoicite gave did sound like the sound they make when they are killed from Heathcliff’s memories,” he said. “Someone needs to report this to Aincrad, and fast.”  
  
Persephone looked at Asuna. “I thought you didn’t want me to go,” she said seriously. “That it was too dangerous to try while we have this crunch time.”  
  
Asuna’s eyes narrowed as her head bowed. “I’m afraid our hand has been forced. Governor-General Nightfallen needs to be informed and you are the only one who can get there safely.”  
  
“I would have gone regardless.” Persephone replied as she stood back up. “Sword Wraiths, here? That is really, _really_ bad news for us.”  
  
“That means that we are more lucky than we know.” Asuna agreed, looking back up at Persephone. “What are you still doing here? Get going!”  
  
Persephone gave Asuna and Kirito a cheerful salute, “Saturn Planet Power, Make Up!” She glowed for a moment and then Senshi Saturn was standing in her place. “Since I am going back to Aincrad, do you want me to bring anything back for anyone?”  
  
“Liz and the others need a forge, finding one they can use is problematic and the ones they have checked out aren’t good enough. Liz has been complaining.” Kirito mumbled.  
  
“Some more armor and weapons wouldn’t be amiss either.” Asuna agreed, “And maybe some materials.”  
  
Kirito nodded slowly as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad; Skarlet Pyales: Governor-General Nightfallen’s Office**  
  
Selene Nightfallen looked up from her paperwork when she felt something shift in Aincrad around her. It felt as if Saturn was welcoming someone home. “I wasn’t expecting this…” She got up and headed to the door.  
  
She’d only felt this one other time in all the Awakenings they’ve had since The Fall. It could only be the reborn Princess Persephone, since the Noble Families of Saturn were all long since dead and gone. There _could, supposedly_ have been a few survivors on Earth, but they were now so far removed from their ancestors that it was unlikely that they’d be able to reclaim the DNA locked heirlooms that were kept here in Aincrad.  
  
“I’d better see why Princess Persephone is here and what she needs, since she told Healer Hakonia that she would not be back.” Selene rubbed at her forehead as she left her office.  
  


* * *

****

  
Selene had a rather sharp smile on her face when she ran into Makan on her way to the Teleport Station. “Captain-General.” She greeted.  
  
“Governor-General.” Makan replied. “Has something happened?”  
  
“We don’t know yet.” Selene said. “I was just about to go find out. You may accompany me if you so wish.”  
  
Makan fell in step with her, “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad: Seran Dael Infirmary**  
  
Hakonia gave Persephone an unimpressed look when the Guardian Saturn appeared in her office. “I thought you weren’t going to make another trip out here.” She said with a raised light blue eyebrow. “Something has changed. What is it?”  
  
Saturn dismissed her Glaive and grimaced. “Sorry for popping in like this.” she said. “I need to get to the Teleport Station and up to the Skarlet Pyales. We just stumbled onto information that needs to get to Governor-General Nightfallen.”  
  
“And what would that be?” Hakonia asked.  
  
“We have reason to believe that Sword Wraiths might be on Earth… and under the command of the very thing that caused The Fall.”  
  
“ _What?!_ ” Hakonia asked. “How the fu- are you _sure_?”  
  
Persephone bit her lip, “Granted, it’s only a suspicion from Rameses, but even a suspicion is something we would want to check out,” She said. “He said something about being hunted by them last time he was awake?”  
  
“We _still_ haven’t fixed the hole in the eighty-fifth floor he made,” Hakonia muttered. “A thousand years, and they never got around to that. Please tell me that he doesn’t need an arm reattached this time. Actually, please tell me he needs an arm reattached, I’ll sic my daughter on him.”  
  
“He reported that Zoicite’s dying scream was the same one the Sword Wraiths make when they are destroyed.” Saturn said seriously. “And reattaching his arm?”  
  
“Yes, reattaching his arm, as well as making sure he didn’t die from blood loss or shock,” Hakonia said. “Not to mention fixing the internal damage from the overpressure of the explosion. He took out an entire nest of them that somehow ended up on the eighty-fifth floor.”  
  
“Um, no, he doesn’t need an arm reattached,” Saturn said. “At least, I wasn’t informed that he needed that. He probably needed healing, but I think we can leave that to Healer Tilnel. Anyway, I need to head to the Skarlet Pyales, Healer Hakonia. I bid you a good day.”  
  
Hakonia sighed in relief. “Good day to you, Princess Persephone.”

* * *

  
  
**Seran Dael**  
  
Persephone was halfway to the Teleport Station when a soft glow erupted above it, revealing the person she was looking for: Governor-General Selene Nightfallen of the Dark Elves. And standing next to her was Captain-General Makan Aldursson Eldurlag.  
  
While the Salamander didn’t necessarily need to be told right away, he would eventually find out what was going on.  
  
Persephone took a deep breath as she reached them. “Governor-General, Captain-General.” She greeted them as she came to a stop.  
  
“Greetings, Princess Persephone.” Selene said as she stepped down from the Teleport Station. “I believe you have something to share with us?”  
  
“Yes.” Persephone said, “We have reason to believe that several Sword Wraiths have somehow made their way to Earth.” She reported sharply. “We do not have any actual evidence, other than Rameses’ word that the dying scream of Zoicite sounded like the screams Sword Wraiths disseminate when they are destroyed.”  
  
Selene and Makan’s faces both paled. “You are sure about that?” Selene asked faintly.  
  
“Rameses was rather adamant, and his sister confirmed with what she knew.” Persephone replied shortly. “It fact, they were also rather pale, from what Captain Heathcliff tells me, when they realised what that meant.”  
  
Selene and Makan traded a glance. “Could they be possessing the corpses of the Shitennou?” Selene asked almost silently.  
  
“It’s either that or they’ve assumed their forms.” Makan grimaced.  
  
Sword Wraiths on Earth could spell disaster, depending on how many there were.  
  
“How many of the Shitennou are gone?” Selene asked, turning her attention back to the Princess and Guardian of Saturn.  
  
“Zoicite makes three.” Persephone smirked. “Both Jadeite and Kunzite were killed by Commander Kirito, although there was a healthy dose of luck involved both times. Rameses killed Zoicite himself, with the help of his sister. And I need to get the story behind that.”  
  
Selene nodded, “I see. And how many do you think there were originally?”  
  
“If we are right… then the four Generals and perhaps Beryl.” Persephone replied. “On a happier note, we got the Storage Function working.”  
  
“You will probably want some supplies then?” Makan enquired.  
  
“Yes, if you can afford to part with them.” Persephone said hopefully.  
  
“Anything in particular?” Makan asked, glad to be away from the terrifying topic of Sword Wraiths on Earth.  
  
“Liz has been complaining about our forges not being good enough.” Persephone shrugged. “Do you have a portable forge that you could convince Veigur to part with?”  
  
“Perhaps if I say that it’s for our prodigy. It is for her right?” Makan asked.  
  
Persephone nodded. “And some materials, if there are enough that you can part with any.”  
  
“I’ll see what I can do, but you are going to have to stick around for a while.” Makan warned.  
  
“I wasn’t given a specific time frame to get back, and if this looks like my stay will be prolonged, I can send a message back,” Persephone replied.  
  
Makan nodded. “I see, so you were sent here this time. Are there any materials in particular that I should set aside?”  
  
“A Crystallite Ingot perhaps?” Persephone asked hopefully.  
  
“I’ll see what I can do.” Makan smirked, “And I suppose you also what some more armor?”  
  
“Only if parting with them will not cause problems for the people living here.” Persephone demurred.  
  
Makan nodded, heading for the Armory.  
  
“Princess Persephone,” Selene said. “If you would inform me of what has been happening so far? There is a nice place not far from here that we can adjourn to so we can be more comfortable.”  
  
Persephone nodded. “Certainly, Governor-General.” She replied. “As you know, Zoicite is dead, and that Rameses killed him. I don’t know how, though. Anyway, we have been continuing operations to disrupt Dark Kingdom activities and…”

* * *

  
  
**Alfheim Online: Arun**  
  
Leafa smiled widely as she came in for a landing outside of Arun, where she knew her brother and sister-in-law had an in game house. Now she could finally play with them the way she really wanted to!  
  
She stopped in confusion when she saw two Spriggans chatting with two Salamanders. Who were they all? Wait… the female Salamander sounded familiar.  
  
“Excuse me.” Leafa called.  
  
The Salamander turned, “Oh, hello Leafa!” She called.  
  
“Who are you again?” Leafa asked, feeling a little stupid. “I recognize your voice but well…”  
  
“Oh yes, you saw me in my SAO Avatar the last time we met.” The Salamander smiled, “I’m still Silica.”  
  
“Uh, nice to see you again, who are your friends?” Leafa asked, trying not to feel too awkward.  
  
Silica turned to the others, “Well, this one here is Rameses.” She said slowly in Japanese, gesturing to the other Salamander.  
  
“Nice to meet you.” Rameses said.  
  
“I take it Japanese isn’t his first language?” Leafa asked Silica after bowing to the boy in greeting.  
  
“And you’d be right.” Silica nodded. “He and his sister here,” Silica gestured to the female Spriggan, “Are both from Aincrad. They are both fluent in Lunarian, though it’s probably not their first language.”  
  
“It would be their second,” the other Spriggan said in accented Japanese.  
  
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Silica agreed. “This is their older brother, well Ke- Skuggað Ljós’ older brother. It’s a long story, and not mine to tell, but she was adopted by Rameses’ parents.”  
  
“Nice to meet you all.” Leafa grinned. “Ah, so Rameses gained two siblings the way I gained my brother. Ok.” Then what Silica said about where they were from percolated through her head. “Wait a minute, they’re from _where_?”  
  
Silica turned to the Aincrad residents. “This is Leafa, she’s the [Commander’s] younger sister,” she said in Japanese and then said something in another language.  
  
“I take it you have a talent for [Wind Magic] then.” The older Spriggan said.  
  
“Um, not quite,” Leafa said. “Cousin Aki checked my affinity, and it’s Shadow, but there seems to be a minor affinity for Wind. And again, they’re from _where_ , exactly?”  
  
“Then you need a Spriggan Alt.” Silica said, as if Leafa hadn’t asked the question. “Because you won’t do us any good if using magic kills you the first time you use it.”  
  
“I didn’t know that when I made this Avatar!” Leafa shot back with a pout.   
  
“And what’s stopping you from fixing that now that you know?” Silica asked. “As soon as things calm down, I’m making a Cait Syth alt, after all.”  
  
“Planning on getting your feathered friend back?” Leafa asked knowingly.  
  
Silica smiled and translated what was said to her companions. Both Rameses and Skuggað Ljós, Leafa was going to think of the latter as Skuggað, or maybe Skuggi. The latter was definitely easier for her to remember how to pronounce. Extinct language with helpful primers or not, pronouncing Alvarin, the language of the Words of Power, was harder than it seemed.  
  
They started chuckling, as if something she said was funny. The older one wasn’t, but she could see the amusement in his posture and eyes. And Silica?  
  
Silica smirked at Leafa. “Something like that,” she said.  
  
“Ok, spill! All of you are obviously amused by something I said. What is it?” Leafa demanded, pouting.  
  
Skuggað Ljós giggled before turning to her older brother and began speaking rapidly in Alvarin.  
  
“Just so you know, only Rameses and Solbjoem can call her Skuggi,” Silica said. “Well, so can her niece, though she calls her Aunt Skuggi. The rest of us will have to use her full name for now, until she says otherwise.”  
  
“Why?” Leafa asked. “It’s certainly easier to say.”  
  
“Skuggi,” Solbjoem said before also speaking in Alvarin.  
  
Skuggað Ljós pouted saying something back just as quickly.  
  
Rameses rolled his eyes, “Skuggi…” He sighed before launching into his own string of Alvarin.  
  
Skuggað Ljós’s pout deepened. “My brothers are so _mean_ …” she muttered in Japanese.  
  
Silica gave her a pat on the shoulder. “There, there,” she said. She then turned to Rameses and asked a question in that other language, Lunarian.  
  
Rameses stopped to think about something. Then he nodded. “If you want to tell her the truth, that’s up to you, Silica,” he slowly said in Japanese.  
  
Silica nodded, “That’s what I thought you’d say.” She muttered, looking to Solbjoem in askance, who nodded in reply. “Fine, don’t be helpful.” Silica grumbled.  
  
“Well, she _is_ [The Commander’s] sister.” The Spriggan said with a shrug.  
  
“I don’t want to say anything if she’s not cleared to know.” Silica replied.  
  
Leafa held her hands up, “I’m not going to force you to tell me anything. I was actually looking for my brother.”  
  
Silica blushed. “I think they said they didn’t want to be disturbed for a while…”  
  
Rameses and Skuggað Ljós both shook their heads, saying something to each other in yet _another_ language.  
  
 _Just how many languages do those two know?_ Leafa thought to herself.  
  
“As far as I know, they’re fluent in three, and they’re learning Japanese right now,” Silica said impishly. “Yes, you said that aloud.” She turned to them. “And could you two _not_ do that?” She asked. “We’re confusing her enough as it is and I would like to be able to translate what you’re saying when you can’t find the right words to use in Japanese.”  
  
Skuggað Ljós gave Silica a smile that promised nothing. “And why would we do that?”  
  
“Because it’s _rude,_ Skuggi.” Solbjoem reminded his little sister pointedly.  
  
She shot back a retort in Alvarin.  
  
“I don’t care if you’re a teen and are feeling rebellious,” Solbjoem said and then repeated what he said in both Alvarin and Lunarian. Or at least Leafa was assuming he was repeating what he said.  
  
“This is making me feel dumb,” Leafa said morosely. “I’m having trouble with _English_ , and I am around people who seem to pick up languages like tourists pick up souvenirs.”  
  
“If you wanted help, Sugu, you could have always asked me.” Kirito’s voice came from behind her. “In fact you _should_ have, because Languages are easy. And yes, they’re from Aincrad, it’s real, and it’s an interesting story as to how Rameses got here. His sister was brought here by someone who can teleport.”  
  
Leafa turned, “Onii-chan?”  
  
Kirito was giving her _that_ look again.  
  
“What did I do this time?” Leafa pouted.  
  
“You know, _Skuggi_ , I’m sure Ashley wouldn’t mind another Volunteer…” Came Asuna’s voice from behind the Spriggan girl.  
  
Skuggað Ljós stiffened. “Your Highness…”  
  
“What have I said about calling me that?” Asuna asked, her cheerful smile full of teeth.  
  
“I apologise, Asuna.” Skuggað Ljós corrected immediately.  
  
“Good.” Asuna chirped. “Oh and that reminds me, Guardsman?” She asked, turning to Solbjoem.  
  
Solbjoem stood straighter, “Yes?”  
  
“I have a few ideas that I need to run by your wife first, but I’m sure we’ll all have fun with it.” Asuna informed him.  
  
“I’m sure we will.” He said with a perfectly straight face.

* * *

  
  
**Tomoeda: Ashley’s Tailoring**  
  
Ashley looked up from where she was working on some fabric draped over a mannequin as the door opened. She set the pin and got up. “I’ll be right there.” She called.  
  
“Ashley, I’ve come to deliver a few volunteers.”  
  
Ashley perked up when she recognized Asuna’s voice. “Asuna, it’s nice for you to come by,” she said as she left her workroom. “It’s nice to see you again.”  
  
“And you Ashley.” Asuna agreed cheerfully.  
  
“So, who displeased you this time?” Ashley asked.  
  
“Rameses this time, and Kebechet has offered to be your assistant in dressing him up.” Asuna gave her older friend a wicked smile. “Though you are free to dress her up as well.”  
  
“Well, I have finished the prototype for the Girl’s uniform, I think…” Ashly mused. “I was just working on the boy’s uniform.”  
  
“Then perhaps we should have Ramese model what you have?” Asuna asked curiously.  
  
Rameses just looked resigned to his fate.  
  


* * *

****

  
Rameses was blushing as he came out from the fitting room. The jacket and shirt weren’t bad, being grey and black respectively, the skirt wasn’t too bad and neither were the tights. But why did he have to wear female underwear? Yes, he had been turned into a girl before, and had to stay that way long enough personally know just how complete that transformation was, but he was _male_ , damn it! So why were they…?”  
  
Oh, right. Because the clothing designer wanted it that way, and the Princess fully agreed with her. Better not say anything, because he had no doubt they could make it more embarrassing for him. He had seen some other articles of underwear and could figure out what they were for.  
  
Asuna circled him once. “The skirt is the same length, right?” She asked, looking to Ashley.  
  
“It should be.” Ashley agreed. “It’s a balancing act between being modest and being able to move freely.”  
  
Asuna looked a little doubtful. “I don’t know Ashley, it seems a little short on him.”  
  
Ashley blinked. “Really?” She took a closer look, “Huh, you might be right.” The Tailor took out a measuring tape and measured the length of the skirt. “No, it’s the regulation length…” Ashly put a hand to her chin in thought.  
  
“Maybe you should have an actual girl model the uniform?” Rameses asked.  
  
The door opened behind them and Silica came in.  
  
Everyone turned to look at Silica as she spotted Rameses in a girl’s uniform for some reason. Her cheeks went bright red.  
  
“That is a good point,” Asuna agreed slowly. “Hey Silica, can you help us with something?”  
  
“Um, sure?” Silica asked. “Pri- I mean, Asuna, what did he do?”  
  
“He did something reckless, and this,” Asuna gestured to what Rameses was wearing, “Is the prototype of the uniform we will be wearing next Semester. On Rameses, it doesn’t look quite right, but I’m sure it will look fine on you. Maybe you can spot something that we missed?”  
  
Silica nodded and looked Rameses over, her face still slightly flushed. “Umm, it may be because he’s taller than most girls are,” She said. “And maybe has somewhat longer legs than average? So, if the skirt is regulation length, it would seem that it’s too short? He and the Commander are about the same height, too. And isn’t there that one older girl who attends the school who has a similar problem? What was her name, LLENN?”  
  
Ashley nodded. “I remember her,” she said. “She wasn’t a regular of mine, but designing the occasional outfit for her was always interesting, given how tall she is. Send her my way, I can do some modifications to her uniform that are allowed so that it properly fits her.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “Ashley, take his measurements, we need to have a custom uniform made for him then, both versions.” Asuna said, looking at the tailor. “Kirito-kun too please?” She whispered into the woman’s ear.  
  
Ashley agreed silently. She already had Kirito’s measurements so it would be simple enough to modify the Uniform. She looked at Rameses. “Well then,” she said. “Time to have you change. I have so many outfits I want you to try on and model for us.”  
  
“Great.” Rameses said with a sigh as he went back to the fitting room.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Kirito opened the door to the cafe and held the door open.  
  
“Thank you, Kirito-kun.” Asuna said as she led several others into the cafe.  
  
Kirito gently pulled the door closed behind him. “Asuna-hime, are we waiting on anyone?”  
  
“We are waiting for Minako and Ami.” Asuna replied, being careful to use their new names.  
  
“And what is this meeting about?” Suguha asked in confusion. “And why am I here? I’m not part of this, as far as I remember…”  
  
Kirito gave her a look, “Don’t worry about it Sugu.” He said as Agil came out of the kitchen. “You may be learning magic, but you aren’t actually involved. We just need an outsider’s perspective right now. Heathcliff and I both trust you.” Kirito told his sister.  
  
“Well, if you really think I can help…” Suguha agreed.  
  
“Sasha, do you know if Xena or one of her brothers will be here?” Kirito asked, turning to her.  
  
“They have homework, so it’s doubtful that they will.” Sasha replied with a shrug.  
  
Kirito nodded in turn, “Alright then, Silica, you are going to have to take that role again.”  
  
“I don’t mind.” Silica called back with a cheerful wave.  
  
“We’ll have to run this by Persephone once she gets back.” Asuna reminded them all as the door to the Cafe opened again, revealing Minako and Ami.  
  
“Are we late?” Ami asked.  
  
“No, we just got here ourselves.” Kirito said.  
  
“Go ahead and sit where you like.” Agil told the two Guardians.  
  
“Thank you Agil.” Minako said, sliding into a booth to sit next to Lux.  
  
Lux scooted over to make more room, a blush developing on her face.  
  
“Now, before we get started,” Agil spoke up, “Would you all like something to drink?”  
  
Several people ordered drinks.  
  


* * *

****

  
“All right, we’ve put this off long enough.” Asuna called so that the whole cafe could hear her. “I need to visit the ruins on the moon. I do not plan to go to the moon on my own.”  
  
“Well, we have a lot more breathing room, since three of the Generals are now dead.” Minako spoke up. “You can’t take all of us Guardians with you, though, Asuna.”  
  
“Nor was I planning to.” Asuna agreed. “What do we need to take, who wants to go and how many are we going to take with us are a few very important questions that need answers before anything else can be decided.” She paused, “Minako, you’ve already been to the moon, what and how did you decide who went and who stayed?” She asked her body double curiously. “You must have left someone, because you rescued Kizmel and Tilnel.”  
  
“Michiru, the Guardian on Neptune,” Minako clarified at Asuna’s confused glance. “Took that decision out of my hands and requested that she and Hathor be left behind, because we could not afford to leave the Earth undefended, even for a few hours. And while the two of them are even less fit to fight in an urban setting than the rest of us, they are better than not having anyone at all.”  
  
“Oh, so _that’s_ Nakama’s new name, ok.” Asuna mused, “Neither she nor Hathor have properly introduced themselves to me yet.”  
  
Minako and Ami both snorted in amusement. “I’m not surprised,” Ami said. “The two of them can be… difficult to work with. Haruka, especially.”  
  
Ami blinked a moment later when the name filtered through her mind. “What was her name again? Could you repeat that?” She asked Asuna.  
  
“Princess Nakama of Neptune?” Asuna answered with a question of her own.  
  
Ami snorted again. “That’s what I thought you said.” She said as her shoulders started to tremble.  
  
Minako stared at Ami for a moment, “Nakama?” She asked, not quite getting the inside joke since she’d moved around a lot when she was younger.  
  
“Princess _Companion_ of Neptune.” Ami elaborated, finally losing the battle to retain her composure and dissolving into a fit of giggles.  
  
“Ami-chan, are you ok?” Bunbo asked in concern.  
  
“I’m fine, I’m fine, Ryo-kun.” Ami struggled to say. “Her name is not that funny, so why can’t I stop?”  
  
Minako nodded as she started laughing herself. “Michiru is _never_ going to live this down…”  
  
“Ahem.” Asuna coughed, trying to get their attention back. “So, Minako, would you suggest that we leave Nakama and Hathor behind again?”  
  
Minako nodded, “I think that’s the best idea.”  
  
“So then, that just leaves the questions of who wants to go and how many we can take with us.” Asuna said.  
  
“Heathcliff and I are going.” Kirito said. “No arguments.” he growled when Asuna opened her mouth to protest.  
  
Asuna closed her mouth with a click of her teeth. “Fine, so that’s two slots filled, no matter how many slots there originally were.” She said, glaring at her fiancé. “So how many slots do we actually have?”  
  
“You have six more, Your Highness.” Setsuna replied as she appeared in one corner, taking the coffee that Kathy had been holding out for her. “How did you do that, Kathy-san?”  
  
“I play ALO,” Kathy replied with a smile, “One of my skills is _Search_.”  
  
“Of course,” Setsuna said, taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
Asuna looked at the holographic window in front of Kirito over his shoulder. “Taking notes?”  
  
“Since when do I not?” Kirito asked. “What kind of equipment do we need to take with us? Are we going to bring anything back? If so, what are we looking for?”  
  
“We are looking for a ship that we can fix up and fly.” Asuna replied, looking thoughtful. “Raiding the Armory would probably be a good idea too, because we need to properly outfit those that go out and fight on a regular basis and not have to send Persephone to Aincrad. That means armor and weapons.”  
  
Kirito said nothing as his fingers flew over the holographic keys. “So a ship that’s in one piece. We’ll need to find the Armory and perhaps raid the Smithy? For the equipment we need to maintain everything.” Kirito mused as he typed.  
  
“Not to mention the forges themselves.” Asuna agreed, “As callous as it sounds, dead don’t need them, and _if_ I eventually rebuild, we can always relocate the forges to where they originally were.”  
  
“No sense in leaving something useful behind as long as we can carry it.” Kirito agreed, He turned to her, “Do you think you’d be able to handle multiple trips if they are needed?”  
  
“I suppose it depends on how bad the memory backlash is.” Asuna grimaced.  
  
“The air was stale when we went to retrieve Kizmel and Tilnel.” Ami spoke up. “An Air purifier should be in the list of equipment to take with us.”  
  
“Anything else you can think of?” Kirito asked, nodding as he made a note. “So, who else is coming with us?” He asked.  
  
“Asuna-kun, have you managed to smooth things over with your mother?” Heathcliff cut in.  
  
Asuna shook her head. “Not yet, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day…”  
  
“Than maybe we should take her with us, to show her what was and what could be if you so choose.” Kirito spoke up, turning to look at his fiancée.  
  
Asuna blinked. “I hadn’t thought to do that.” She said, blushing in embarrassment.  
  
“So that’s three.” Kirito said. “Actually, make that four. We can’t forget Kizmel, after all. Not only would she insist anyway, but we need a guide just in case Serenity’s memories aren’t feeling cooperative.”  
  
“Or I shut down for some reason.” Asuna agreed with a grimace. That was a real possibility, even if she didn’t like the fact. “And, of course there is always the chance that we need to make more than one trip to get everyone there.”  
  
Kirito nodded thoughtfully as he looked at the notes in front of him. “I think we should wait until Persephone gets back from Aincrad before we finalize anything else,” he said. “I think we will be bringing her along, if only to keep her separated from Haruka and Michiru until we are all available to run interference, or step in.” He then glanced at something. “And she just sent a message.”  
  
His fiancée hummed in agreement. “Likely saying that she has to spend the night or something.” Asuna agreed, “Since I didn’t give her a time limit. But what does the message actually say?”  
  
“She’s going to probably end up staying there for the next day or so.” Kirito said as he read through the message. “She needs to stay so that she can bring stuff back and it might take a while to pry one of the portable forges away from the head blacksmith, as well as gather the supplies needed.”  
  
“Let her know that we are in no hurry, and that we are not leaving for the Moon until after she returns.” Asuna said as Kirito opened a blank page to reply. “Oh, and pass on how Rameses killed Zoicite. Too bad we don’t have video of i-” She glanced at Lind, who was pulling out his phone. “Or maybe we do. Of course, we don’t know how we could attach it to the message if we did. And have her inform them that we’ve found another survivor, and that there might be more still imprisoned by the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
“As for attaching video to a message, let me work on it,” Heathcliff said. “I was able to work out a way to link the Mystic Tome’s Message function to a cell phone, so it may be doable.”  
  
Kirito nodded, his hands flying over the keys.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad: Seran Dael**  
  
Persephone stretched as she got the response from Kirito. It took much longer than she expected for it to come, was he busy, or was there simply a delay with messages sent over such a long distance? If messages traveled at the speed of light, that would make a lot of sense actually. She opened it and began to read.  
  
 _FM: Kirito  
TO: Persephone_  
  
 _Subj: Take as long as you need_  
  
 _Persephone,_  
  
 _No problem, Asuna sent you to Aincrad knowing that it might take awhile. Anyway, we’re beginning the planning of a trip to the Lunar Palace, but we’re not going until you get back and we figure out who is all going._  
  
 _You’re on that list, if only to keep you, Hathor and Nakama from crossing paths without Setsuna, Asuna and I there to get between you three._  
  
 _If you haven’t already, pass on our finding Solbjoem and his escape from the Dark Kingdom, even that he got out ten years ago is fine. Yes, you pass on that he got married and even had a daughter. And just how pleased Kebechet is to know that she has some biological family still alive. But please, don’t explain just what Yomi is right now. Also, pass on that there may be more prisoners, who we intend to rescue if at all possible._  
  
 _Aki’s looking for a way to send video footage via these. It looks like Lind or one of his managed to get video of the fight where Zoicite was killed. And having footage to review, rather than listening to everyone reporting, is going to be nice. We can look it over and see what we can do better._  
  
 _Will send another message if anything new crops up._  
  
 _Kirito._  
  
It wasn’t as long as she expected, though she was glad that they had decided to put off the trip to the Moon until after she got back. They’d likely need the box that was being prepared for her, as well as the one that had come the last time she was here.  
  
Actually, how much those boxes can hold was probably something important that she needed to know, at least in the short term. The boxes probably used some kind of spell that she was not yet familiar with, but knowing how to make the boxes would likely help when they finally made the trip, and while there was only Nephrite to worry about as the last surviving General, they probably wouldn’t get another chance to visit the moon until after Beryl and whatever might be behind the Zombie was eliminated.  
  
That and it was likely that their party would find more boxes to use. Hopefully the Party would find a few with the magic still strong.  
  
With nothing else to do, Persephone pulled out the Tablet with the digital Primers for Lunarian and began studying.  
  
“Well, it’s nice to see you again, Princess Persephone.” A voice said from across the table she was sitting at.  
  
Persephone put her tablet down and looked at the Undine across from her. “Well, hello, it’s nice to see you as well,” she said, thinking for a moment. “The last time I saw you Marlena, you were a tiny little Sprite. You’ve sure grown up and out nicely.”  
  
“Thank you.” Marlena replied with a blush.  
  
“So, what have you decided to do?” Persephone asked, “Are you going to follow your mother’s footsteps?”  
  
Marlena huffed, “I want to be a Master Healer,” she said. “And that means that I need to be considered ‘respectable’.” And while she didn’t do the air quotes motion, Persephone knew that it was implied by the Undine’s tone.  
  
“I see,” Persephone said. “Forgive me, but being a reincarnation doesn’t mean that all of my past life’s memories can be recalled immediately. So I unfortunately don’t quite remember the details behind that.”  
  
Marlena pouted, as if her favorite toy had been taken away from her. It was no secret to anyone of Aincrad that the girl had been hoping that Princess Persephone would be able to take her on as an apprentice when she was old enough. “That’s not fair, I’m finally old enough but now you can’t teach me!” She crossed her arms over her chest unhappily.  
  
“Well, I came from Earth, you know,” Persephone replied.  
  
Marlena sighed, looking up at the second floor for a moment. “I am tempted to ask Mother if I can go with you, but I doubt she would allow it.”  
  
“Yes, it’s probably better that I not bring anyone back with me.” Persephone agreed. “However, we will be making our way here with a ship soon enough, should we find one that is in good enough condition.”  
  
Marlena perked up considerably at the possibility of her Hero having more regular access to her home. “How are Kebechet and Rameses?” she asked curiously.  
  
“They’re doing fine,” Persephone replied. “Well, Rameses is having to deal with how Asuna is doing her damn best to embarrass him. Again. She’s Princess Serenity’s reincarnation, and she has found an amusing way to ‘punish’ those who get on her bad side. Or when she just feels like it for that matter. Not that many have gotten on her bad side, yet, but both Rameses and The Commander have and word has spread. I think there’s a bet on who will do it that isn’t either of them.”  
  
“Do you have any images?” Marlena asked hopefully. “Because I won’t believe you otherwise. Who is The Commander? I’ve heard you talk about him but, You’ve never said, have you?”  
  
“I do.” Persephone replied, “Of more than just Rameses’ ‘punishments’.”  
  
Marlena leaned forward in interest.  
  
Persephone opened her Mystic Tome and selected her cell phone from the Storage. “Let’s see… which one should I show my cute little would-be Apprentice first?” She asked herself as she swiped through the pictures. “This one I think.” She said, coming to one. “Come sit next to me, Marlena.”  
  
Marlena rushed around the table and sat herself in the seat next to Persephone eagerly. “What is that?” she asked, gesturing to Persephone’s phone.  
  
Persephone paused for a moment to think about how to explain phones to the Undine girl. “Um, I suppose you could say that it’s like the Mystic Tome without the Storage feature?” Persephone asked herself. “It also has features built in that mimic the Imaging Crystals and takes moving pictures as well.”  
  
“There’s no holo magitech in that?” Marlena asked.  
  
“No, Earth fell into a very long Dark Age, and with magic being lost, well, it’s been a long slow crawl out.” Persephone said as she selected a picture, “This is Rameses’ first punishment, and everyone ended up ‘dressing up’.” Persephone said, showing a picture of Rameses in a very frilly red dress next to a short brown haired girl with her hair in pigtails, and dressed in a similar blue dress. There was a light blue Feathered Dragon resting on the girl’s head.  
  
Off to the side was Kebechet, dressed the same way but in a shade of purple, looking quite amused.  
  
The next picture Persephone showed the young Undine was a picture of Rameses and another boy with dark hair and eyes dressed the same way but in black with white tights. Both of them were looking rather put out in the picture. “This is Commander Kirito.” Persephone explained at the Undine’s look of confusion. “I think Asuna was feeling a bit mischievous there, considering that Commander Kirito wasn’t dressed like that before.”  
  
“He reminds me of a Spriggan.” Marlena said with an amused smile.  
  
“And then this is Asuna.” Persephone said, turning to the next picture, that of a girl with long light brown hair with warm amber eyes. Dressed in the same kind of dress as the others, though in white with red accents.  
  
“She’s quite beautiful,” Marlena whispered blushing slightly.  
  
“She is, and she’s still a really good friend.” Persephone agreed.  
  
Marlena’s cheeks flushed before hesitantly asking, “Do you think she’d be my friend too?”  
  
“Her and The Commander both.” Persephone agreed.  
  
Marlena gave a small smile. “That’s good.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Captain-General Eldurlag was once again digging through the Armory, looking for supplies that were easily replaced. This part of his task was possibly the easiest and fastest part of the task.  
  
He was not looking forward to having to pry a Portable Forge out of Viegur’s hands. The man could be incredibly stingy with his equipment. Especially when it came to getting equipment for the Smithy students.  
  
Of course, he could say that one was being requested for the one who independently developed Mystic Forging. Veigur was likely to part with one, however grudgingly, in that case. Along with a few sets of tools. Complaining the entire time, true, but if Veigur wasn’t complaining about _something_ , those who knew him would probably worry and wonder if he was all right.  
  
Well, except when his children were born. How he had managed to get the attention of a woman, let alone two, was something of a mystery. And while he only picked one to marry in the end, it was no secret that he’d had children with both.  
  
And none of them would explain how it ended up that way, though all three had been quite smug about telling those who didn’t take the hint and stop asking to go pound cloud. It wasn’t anyone else’s business.  
  
“May I be of assistance, Sir?” Came a woman’s question.  
  
 _And speak of the Einherjar_ , Makan thought as he turned to see, Randalin Jommundsdottir, standing off to the side. The Salamander woman was taller and stockier than was common and held herself with the steady solidity that would have been more appropriate for a Gnome. Fitting, considering that she grew up in Nisenigrof in Alfheim. Many Gnome mannerisms would have been learned by her there.  
  
“Ah, Randalin, I am just looking at what we can part with and afford to lose should it end up lost,” Makan said. “Though it is not for another teleportation experiment. Princess Persephone came to Aincrad again, this time to let us know what has been happening. How is Efemia doing? She did just give birth to her third child.”  
  
The Salamander chuckled. “She is doing well, and actually threatened to make Veigur be the one who bears the next one this time,” she replied. “And given that she was raised by her Spriggan aunts and uncles, she almost certainly knows how to make that happen.”  
  
The image of Veigur as a pregnant woman percolated in Makan’s mind and he snorted. If that happened, Makan planned to never let the Leprechaun live this down.  
  
Randalin grinned back. “Was there anything you needed help locating?” She asked. “And, if it would not be too much, can I also ask why?”  
  
“It was requested by our reborn Sovereign that Princess Persephone bring a few things back with her.” Makan replied. “A Portable Forge among them.”  
  
“A Portable Forge I remember Veigur saying something about a prodigy that he wants to get his hands on…” The Salamander mused. “I take it the Forge is for whoever that is?”  
  
“You would be right.” Makan informed her. Turning to her, he asked, “Can you check to see if we have something called Crystalite in stock?”  
  
“Crystalite?” Randalin asked. “Why would they want that?”  
  
“I don’t know, but I’ll pass the question along through Princess Persephone.”

* * *

  
  
**Skarlet Pyales: Di Phorj**  
  
Veigur was working on a black blade when Makan arrived in the Forge. Likely working on refining the Elucidator. Veigur seemed to be obsessed with finishing the project. Not that Makan could blame the Leprechaun, Elucidator was supposed to be the pinnacle of their smithing ability.  
  
As such, Makan was not going to interrupt his friend while he was working on this project. He waited until the Leprechaun put the hammer down and had picked Elucidator up to inspect it before speaking up. “Princess Persephone is back and she has requested that you part with one of our Portable Forges.”  
  
Veigur looked up from his inspection of Elucidator to look at his friend. “And this forge would be for who?” He asked grumpily.  
  
“Why, the one you wish to get your hands on.” Makan grinned back. “I don’t think we ever got this person’s name though.”  
  
Veigur put the Elucidator Prototype down and went to one of his cabinets, “They are going to need a few sets of tools too…” He grumbled, clearly hating the idea of losing any of his equipment.  
  
That was the response that Makan had been expecting, he was just happy that he didn’t have to argue with the Leprechaun. He watched as Veigur started pulling tools out of drawers. Hammers and tongs and dyes among other things. Then he went to where he kept the Portable Forges and started sorting through them.  
  
“Are you going to want a separate box for the forge and tools?” Makan asked from where he stood in the doorway.  
  
“That might not be a bad idea.” Veigur agreed after a moment of thought.

* * *

  
  
**May 22; Ṭaiṭān Kyāsal**  
  
Persephone walked through Ṭaiṭān Kyāsal, looking around in wonder at just how close Heathcliff had gotten to the real thing in the Simulation. Makan hadn’t yet gotten back to her with what she would bring back to Earth, and she was not going to bother him about it. That would be improper, not to mention unprofessional. And while she doubted that Asuna would make much of a fuss, she knew that Heathcliff would.  
  
Makan had been very accommodating to her requests so far, which he was not required to do so. She was grateful that he was, so she would be as professional as she could in return. To show how much she appreciated the Salamander’s actions.  
  
The last night had been rather comfortable. The beds were actually better than the Simulation in this case. Staying the night had been nostalgic, and in a good way. But now Persephone was feeling a bit lonely, since she was the only one of the SA here.  
  
Perhaps she should see if Makan had finished gathering the supplied that she had been requested to return with. If he wasn’t, then she would back off and apologize for wasting his time and find something else to occupy her time with.  
  
Perhaps she could take a few remedial lessons from Healer Hakonia. Or maybe she could help the Undine look for something similar to AIDS and HIV for Yuuki and Ran. There were quite a few things she could do while she was here.  
  
Actually, that sounded like the best idea.

* * *

  
  
**Saren Dael**  
  
Hakonia stared at Princess Persephone silently. “You want to what?” She asked, not sure that she’d heard the girl right.  
  
“I would like to take some remedial lessons in Healing, because while I may have all the memories of that training, I don’t have that experience anymore.”  
  
“And you’d like to correct as much of that as you can while you are here.” Healer Hakonia finished.  
  
Princess Persephone nodded. “Yes, and I know that we aren’t going to be able to cover more than the basics in the time we have, but it will help me to take care of Merida, Ran and her sister on Earth until we can actually make our way here with a ship.”  
  
Healer Hakonia nodded as she thought about it. “And I can give you some material so that Tilnel can help you while I am not available.”  
  
“That would be very appreciated, but only if parting with it won’t cause you any hardship.” Princess Persephone said.  
  
“I’m sure I could find some obsolete equipment that would work. Something that I don’t use anymore.” Hakonia waving Princess Persephone’s concerns away. “And since you are here, I can give you some copies of the books and scrolls you’ll need.”  
  
“All right then.” Persephone agreed hesitantly.  
  
Hakonia gave the girl a reassuring smile. “I’m sure it will be fine. Let’s go.”  
  
“Lead the way then, Healer Hakonia.” Persephone replied, gesturing for the Undine to take the lead.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Nephrite followed the woman that he’d seen with the giant with his eyes for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to approach her.  
  
From his Divinations, this woman, Kathy Mills, would be reaching the peak of her Energy Cycle. He’d been looking for her for several days now. It was a relief to finally find her, especially since she was so close to her zenith. Now, was she holding anything that he could plant a Youma in?  
  
There was nothing, as far as he could see at the moment. She was carrying quite a few breakable things and while it might be possible to pick something without everything breaking, he didn’t want to risk it.  
  
Instead, he decided to follow her.  
  
After following Mrs. Mills for several minutes he brushed past her.  
  
He didn’t even really notice the huge man reaching for an Axe hanging on the wall. “Get away from my wife, you bastard!” the huge man shouted as Kathy scrambled behind the bar.  
  
Nephrite jumped back, dodging the Axe. It took Nephrite another moment or two to recognize the axe for what it actually was. It was his own! Why did this man… Oh.  
  
Time to disengage then. And see if he could find out what happened to Zoicite, because that melodramatic twit was now missing. He was probably dead, like the other two. It was time to go over what the others had been trying to do so that Nephrite could try and salvage their Operations.  
  
Nephrite retreated from the small cafe and made a run for it, teleporting back to base as soon as he was out of sight.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito looked up from his homework when he heard the doorbell ring, he put his stylus down and pulled out his phone, tapping the Ring App with a finger to see who it was.  
  
Asuna looked up from her own tablet. “Who is that?”  
  
“I’m checking,” he said as the App came up and the image of Minako appeared. “Good afternoon, Minako, to what do we owe this visit?”  
  
Minako turned, looking into the camera. “I need to talk to you and Asuna about your upcoming field trip, may I come in?” She asked.  
  
“Sure, I’ll be right there to let you in.” Kirito replied, turning his phone off as he got up.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito led Minako into the living room, where he and Asuna had been working. “Was there something you needed?” Asuna asked her older friend as she put her own tablet and stylus to one side and turning her full attention to the older woman.  
  
“I’ve been thinking about who should and should not go to the moon this time,” Minako started. “I went when we retrieved Kizmel and her sister.” The woman gave Kizmel, who was sitting in a chair out of the way a respectful nod. “And, I would like to stay behind this time.”  
  
“What about your sword that is still where we died?” Asuna asked, “Don’t you want it back?”  
  
“I…” Minako looked down, “I don’t think I’ll be able to handle the scene. Nor do I want to do that to myself.”  
  
Asuna stared at her friend and body double, “If that is how you feel, then of course I will not force you to go.” Asuna agreed. “Do you feel as if you failed?”  
  
Minako seemed to shrink into herself.  
  
Asuna sighed as she got up and walked around the table to give her lookalike a hug. “That was not _your_ failure.”  
  
“I-I know that in my head, but…” Minako choked, “But I just can’t convince my heart.”  
  
“Inanna did everything she was required to do.” Asuna said, “And she didn’t fail either.”  
  
Minako shook, still fighting the tears that wanted to fall. She didn’t want to fall apart in front of her Princess, especially since Asuna was several years younger than Minako herself was.  
  
Kirito put his tablet down and stood up. “Hime, I’m going to go and make some tea,” he said. “You want me to get some snacks out as well?” Of course it wasn’t just to fetch tea and snacks, but he wouldn’t mention the other reason.  
  
Clearly divining his intent, Asuna nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a very good idea,” she said. “Please do.”  
  
“All right then.” He replied. “Any preferences on the tea or snacks before I disappear for a few minutes?”  
  
Asuna looked down at Minako’s head and shaking shoulders. “Chamomile for Inanna, I think and I’ll have whatever you decide on.” She said as she looked at him over her shoulder.  
  
“Then I will be right back.” Kirito said as he headed for the kitchen.  
  


* * *

****

  
As soon as Kirito was gone, Asuna turned her attention back to Minako. “All right, what’s really the matter, Minako?” She asked.  
  
Minako’s shoulders slumped. “I… This is pathetic, I came here for something else entirely!” The woman sighed. “Last time we had no choice but to leave Neptune and Uranus behind, as it took all of us to retrieve Kizmel and Tilnel.”  
  
“But?” Asuna probed.  
  
“But Persephone and you are going this time.” Minako said. “The two of you can more than supply the needed power to teleport a small group to the moon on your own, several times over.” She held up a hand when Asuna opened her mouth. “Listen, Your Highness.” She said. “Both of you haven’t been worn down by a decade of fighting the Dark Kingdom with no clear end in sight. I won’t dismiss SAO like our two problem children seem to be doing, but your experiences there had a clear end in sight.”  
  
Asuna closed her mouth, nodding slowly. Minako, like Inanna in her past life, wasn’t the type of person for formality and titles, let alone complete seriousness, unless necessary. So for her to address Asuna as ‘Your Highness’ meant that she was being completely serious here.  
  
“You all have done in a few months what seven of us haven’t managed in ten years,” Minako said. “Yes, none of the Shitennou were killed by you or her, but that doesn’t change the fact that your people have still managed something that we Guardians haven’t in all the time that we’ve been Active!”  
  
“Inanna, are you feeling inadequate?” Asuna asked quietly.  
  
“No… Yes, I don’t…” Minako struggled with her words for a good minute. Then she took a deep breath. “It’s more frustration at the fact that we haven’t been able to do anything more than hold the line, badly at that, before you awoke.”  
  
Asuna hugged her again. “You need to take a few weeks off.”  
  
“I would if I could,” Minako muttered, “But you need all hands on deck.”  
  
“No. As soon as we get back from the moon, you are being put on the bench. Find something else to do.” Asuna said, holding up a hand to silence her older friend. “I am not going to stop you from finding another way to help, but you are not to fight, or go out on Patrol. You need to get away from this before you make a mistake that ends up _killing_ you.”  
  
“I guess that brings us to what I originally wanted to talk to you about.” Minako said with a sigh.  
  
“And what was that?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Your Physical Therapy.” Minako replied, much calmer now that she had managed to vent some of her frustration. “Also, I did say back in February that I wanted to take some time to teach Silica some fighting tips as well. I don’t care that it was by complete surprise and a low blow, she brought a Senshi to the ground. That kind of talent should be nurtured, and I can teach her so many cheap tricks to make her a better fighter.”  
  
That was when Kirito re-entered the room with a tray of tea and snacks. “Sorry it took so long.” The tray held three cups and two different teapots. He picked up one and poured a careful measure of tea into one of the cups. “Here, Minako.” He said, holding the cup out for her to take.  
  
Minako took it, watching in fascination as Kirito then took the the other teapot and poured two cups of the other tea, holding one out to Asuna. “How very domestic of you, Kirito.” She said.  
  
“I’m used to sharing Kitchen duty with my sister.” He explained, picking up the third cup and taking a sip. “Just because I didn’t have the skill in SAO does not mean that I can’t cook or that I don’t have any talent for it.”  
  
“I find it very attractive.” Asuna said. “That said,” she turned her attention back to Minako. “We can talk more about what you want to do after we get back from the moon. Our _field trip_ is a bit more important.”  
  
“If that is what you want.” Minako agreed.


	28. Lunar Ruins and Ruined Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first trip to the moon is... eventful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the first trip to the moon. It's also one of my favorite chapters for the second book of the series.
> 
> There are a few phrases that need translating!
> 
> There is this in Graelic:
> 
> Xádelfos, tha se válo se xekoúrasi.
> 
> Which means:
> 
> Cousin, I will lay you to rest.
> 
> and then there is:
> 
> Tāyi
> 
> Which means:
> 
> Mother

**Shintokyo: SAO Survivor School**  
  
Kirito looked over the people that were in the gymnasium. He could see Lind and Silica sitting together. Not far from where the two were sitting, Beryl-chan was sitting with Klein, Dynamm, Boxy, Luna (their beloved _Curse Spotter_ , not the beautiful cat that had attached herself to Asuna who avoided Ēkate as much as she could, because his huge Sabercat was quite protective of both him and Asuna for some reason…), Agil, Eugene, and Aki.  
  
There were only eleven people here, since Persephone was still on Aincrad and would not be back for a couple more hours at the very earliest, he could handle ten people.  
  
Besides which, Asuna was sitting behind him, he knew she was there, just in case anything happened. “Are we expecting anyone else to show up, Heathcliff?” He asked his older brother.  
  
“I believe we are only waiting on Grimlock, Griselda, Thinker and Yulier.” Heathcliff replied.  
  
Ok, so there would be fifteen people instead of ten. Kirito took a deep breath to stop the tightening of his chest and counted backwards from ten. He could do this. Fifteen was a very small number, and seeing how empty the Gymnasium was would no doubt help him to stay calm. He still had trouble with larger crowds. How had he made so many friends again?  
  
“Asuna-hime, how many people are we going to take?” He asked, turning to his fiancée.  
  
“Well, according to Rei,” Asuna mused, “The air was stale, so it’s probably best if I go and set up an air purifier and get that running, before we take anyone up.”  
  
Kirito nodded as the door to the rest of the school opened and the four people that they had been waiting for entered. “That does not tell me how many we can take.” He reminded her.  
  
“We will take as many as needed, since we are going to be what amounts to looting the place for anything that still works.” Asuna hugged herself, “The dead would want us to use whatever we can.”  
  
At Asuna’s tone, Kirito turned to look at her. He left the podium that had been set up for the meeting and returned to his fiancée’s side. He gave her shoulder a squeeze.  
  
Asuna looked up and gave him a tight smile. “I’ll be alright,” she whispered, shooing him back to the podium.  
  
He rolled his eyes as he obeyed. “Are we all here?” he called as he looked over the small group.  
  
There was a quiet murmur confirming that they were.  
  
“Alright then,” Kirito glanced at his tablet, which was sitting on the podium, with the notes he’d made for this meeting open. “Seeing as Persephone will not be back for a while, I will keep this short: We are heading to the Moon.”  
  
No one said anything.  
  
“We are going as soon as Persephone gets back.” Kirito continued. “Not many will be going, Asuna’s and Persephone's magic can only support so many of us, and we will be bringing back everything we can carry. As evidenced by the box that Persephone brought back when she went the first time, we will be able to carry more than we first thought. Persephone is likely to bring back a second box that is larger on the insi--” Kirito clamped his mouth shut as the doors to the courtyard opened again. It was Kikuoka.  
  
“Great, what does that man want now?” Heathcliff muttered as they all watched the man approach. He made to stand, but Kirito caught his brother’s eye and shook his head.  
  
“Kirigaya-kun.” Kikuoka said when he was close enough.  
  
“Kikuoka-san.” Kirito replied evenly, “I’d have thought that your little encounter with Ashley and Sasha-sensei would have dissuaded you from approaching me again.” He commented dryly, feeling rather confident since he had several adults in the room that he knew would jump to his defense and/or back him up if he needed it.  
  
Hopefully it would not come to that. Did the man’s Superiors even know what Kikuoka was doing?  
  
“That said, is there something I can help you with?” Kirito asked impatiently. Was it not obvious that he was busy? “As you can see, I’m in the middle of something. I don’t have time to humor you at the moment.”  
  
Kikuoka smirked as he watched Kirito cross his arms over his chest. “You’ve been skipping your Counseling Appointments.” Kikuoka said, his eyes narrowing as he pulled his sunglasses off and slipped them into a breast pocket. “The Therapist wants very much to speak with you. You are required to talk to her.”  
  
“I have been speaking with our resident Priest.” Kirito replied coldly. “I am doing exactly as I have been told.”  
  
“There was a priest among you?” Kikuoka said, sounding confused. “That’s not in our records.”  
  
“Somehow I’m not surprised,” Kirito snorted softly, turning back to the podium and his tablet. “Was there anything else you wanted?” He asked.  
  
Kikuoka gave Kirito a smile that made the sixteen-year-old uneasy. “No, but you are going to need to tell the Therapist who you’ve been talking to.”  
  
“I’ll consider it.” Kirito said shortly, “As you can see, I’m busy.”  
  
Kikuoka took his leave and Kirito sighed in relief as they all relaxed.  
  
“Aki, make a note,” Kirito ordered. “If there is any indication that the therapists provided have been violating confidentiality outside of those exceptions that are allowed, I want to know, and if necessary, made public.”  
  
Heathcliff nodded.  
  
“Now that, that is over,” Asuna said from where she was sitting, “Let’s get back to business.”  
  
Kirito scrolled through his notes. “Alright then, where was I? Ah, there we go.” He turned back to the group he’d been addressing. “As I was saying: Persephone is likely to bring back one more box that is bigger on the inside, and there is always the chance that she will have more than one. However, we should not bank on that, and neither should we expect to find any in the Palace that still has the charm or spell on the box still going strong.”  
  
There was a murmur of agreement from the assembled group.  
  
“That does not mean that we shouldn’t see if we can find such boxes, since we plan to bring as much back as is feasible.” Kirito continued. ”There is also the possibility that we aren’t just going to find abandoned equipment.”  
  
“You mean that we might find bodies up there?” Silica asked, going slightly green at the idea.  
  
“With almost complete certainty.” Kirito said seriously. “Luckily for us, we have a few people who would be able to remember the rites from that time, so we can put them all to rest properly. I do not believe any of us are looking forward to _that_ particular burden. We may not want it, but it is ours to bear, seeing as we are going to be the only ones capable.”  
  
He looked down at his tablet and swiped at the screen, going to the next page of notes. “Moving on,” He said, “Who needs to go: Asuna-hime, Persephone to keep her from coming to blows with Princess Nakama and Hathor, myself, and Heathcliff.” He looked to them all, “I will now take suggestions on who else would like to come.” He looked around, “Keep in mind, there are only so many people that Asuna-hime and Persephone can carry.”  
  
“I’m willing to take more than one trip to get everyone up,” Asuna spoke up, “But not so many that it exhausts me.”  
  
Kirito gave her a nod.  
  
Lind leaned forward. “I think Silica, Rameses and Kebechet should go.”  
  
Silica turned to him, “You don’t want to?”  
  
“I do, but I’m not sure if this is the kind of operation that I would be able to contribute.” Lind replied. “Think about it Silica, who would _not_ want to go where we are heading? We haven’t been to the moon since nineteen seventy-two. It’s been fifty-three years.”  
  
Heathcliff nodded, “Kirito-kun, if I may make a suggestion?”  
  
“Speak then, Heathcliff.” Kirito replied.  
  
“I suggest we take Guardsman Næturvalla with us, as he is the only qualified member of the Royal Guard we have on hand, out of practice though he may be.” Heathcliff replied. “He deserves to see what happened.”  
  
Kirito nodded slowly. “Noted.” He turned his eyes to the others. “Anyone else?”  
  
Klein got a thoughtful look on his face before speaking up, “I think that Beryl-chan and us four Generals should be included.”  
  
Beryl nodded along.  
  
Kirito turned to Asuna, “Have any of the Senshi expressed a desire to go?” He asked.  
  
Asuna looked to the ceiling for a moment, “They have not, but they also hadn’t said that they do not, either. I think I should ask them before we decide to include them or not.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Understood.” He turned to the rest of the members of the meeting, “Anyone else?”  
  
No one else spoke.  
  
Kirito nodded, “You still have time to change your mind, Persephone won’t be back for a while.” He looked down at his tablet, “That seems to be it… In that case, this meeting is concluded, you are all dismissed.”  
  
Kirito watched silently as almost everyone who was sitting down get up and leave.  
  
Asuna got up as Kirito turned back to the Podium and picked up his tablet and put it in his Inventory. “You did really well.”  
  
“Even with the Kikuoka Interruption?” Kirito asked, turning to look at her curiously.  
  
“Especially then,” Asuna complimented, “Especially since you didn’t have something boosting your confidence. It was _all_ you this time.”  
  
Kirito blushed lightly, both of them looked up when they heard footsteps approaching. “Aki.” Kirito said quietly.  
  
Heathcliff smiled down at Kirito proudly. “You’ve come a long way since the Beta Test, Kazu.”  
  
“Thank you, Aniki.” He whispered.

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad: Seran Dael**  
  
Persephone looked up when she heard the heavy footfalls of combat boots. “Captain-General.” She said, looking up from the book she’d borrowed from Healer Hakonia.  
  
“Good afternoon, Princess Persephone.” Captain-General Makan Aldursson Eldurlag said.  
  
“Have you managed to gather everything I requested that was within reason?” Persephone asked pleasantly, as she put a bookmark in place and closed the book she’d been reading.  
  
“I have, though I do have a question for you.” The Salamander replied.  
  
“You may certainly ask, though I’m not sure if I will be able to answer the question.” Persephone answered, “And if I can’t, then it’s more likely than not that I just don’t know.”  
  
Makan nodded. “What do you need the Crystalite for?” He asked, “It’s used to make the Crystals and the lights, but I know with almost perfect certainty that the Crafters and Smiths among your group on Earth don’t know how to make those.”  
  
Persephone blinked. “I, am actually not really sure.” she admitted. “I just know that Liz requested it be among the materials I bring back with me.”  
  
“Liz?” Makan questioned with a raised eyebrow.  
  
“Liz is the Smith I told you about last time I was here.” Persephone shrugged. “She goes by Lisbeth. And she, or was it Kirito?” She hummed for a moment, “Anyway, both of them claim that one of the swords she forged in the Simulation was made of Crystalite.”  
  
Makan nodded, “I see,” he said slowly as he opened his Mystic Tome and opened his Storage Space. He selected three things and pulled them out of Storage. Three large boxes that were larger on the inside. “Here you are. Armor and weapons are in one, the forge and tools for Lisbeth are in the second and the third had the materials for her to use.”  
  
Persephone had only been expecting to get one. How, fortuitous. They had four boxes they could use now. Plus whatever containers they might be able to find on the moon. “Thank you Captain-General.” She said taking the boxes and placing them into her Storage space.  
  
“You’d best get going, Princess Persephone.” Makan said after a moment.  
  
“Farewell then, Captain-General.” Persephone said, bowing to the Salamander politely as she summoned her armor. A moment later, she was gone.  
  
Captain-General Makan Aldursson Eldurlag smiled at the empty space, “Goddesses speed you on your way, Princess Persephone.”

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Persephone stretched as the teleport finished and she saw the courtyard of the shrine. Opening her Menu, she selected Asuna’s name and sent her a short memo. Now that she was back on Earth, Persephone was certain that they’d be leaving in a few hours.  
  
First though, Persephone had things to hand out. And that could not happen until everyone was here. She brought the boxes out and paused for a moment.  
  
Perhaps Rameses and Kebechet wouldn’t mind helping her.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito grinned as he enjoyed the feeling of Asuna’s arms wrapped tightly around his middle as they sped towards the Hikawa Shrine. Ēkate, who was strapped into the sidecar was yowling in protest. Coming to his parking spot, he stopped and pulled his helmet off, shaking his head.  
  
Asuna pulled off her helmet and dismounted the bike. “Persephone is back~!” She trilled happily.  
  
“Indeed she is.” Kirito agreed as he leaned over and let his Sabercat out of the sidecar before dismounting the bike and putting down the kickstand. “And she brought more stuff back that needs to be handed out first, so that we can use the container, or containers to carry what we salvage from the ruins of the Lunar Palace.”  
  
Ēkate batted at one of Kirito’s ankles and meowed at him loudly, as if scolding him for something, Kirito could only guess at what his ‘cat was trying to say, because his _Familiar Communication_ Skill had only been in the high four hundreds when he’d been forced to end the Simulation of Aincrad. His guesses were pretty accurate, but he didn’t want to just guess. He’d need a Cait Sith Avatar in order to work on that.  
  
“You silly cat, you know that I don’t have a license for a car.” Kirito muttered as he scratched the Sabercat behind the ear to appease him.  
  
Ēkate meowed sulkily as he followed behind Kirito and Asuna.  
  
Kirito and Asuna shared a laugh at how Ēkate was acting.  
  


* * *

****

  
Persephone was waiting for them with three stacked boxes.  
  
“Asuna, are you seeing this too?” Kirito asked as they came to a stop at the top of the stairs.  
  
“If you mean those three packages then yes.” Asuna agreed. “I thought that we weren’t supposed to get this lucky.”  
  
“Then perhaps we should prepare for something to go wrong.” Kirito said quietly.  
  
Asuna nodded, “Yes.” She said and she approached Persephone. “How did we get this lucky, Persephone?” Asuna asked.  
  
“I don’t know.” Persephone shrugged, “But I’m not going to question it.”  
  
“Then we aren’t either.” Kirito said, eying the boxes, “So, do you know what is in which box?”  
  
“Armor and weapons are in one, the forge and tools for Liz are in another and the matts are in the third,” Persephone said, looking down at the boxes. “Just don’t ask me which is which. We’ll have to open them to see which is which.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Would you like to open them now, or are we waiting on anyone?”  
  
Persephone looked at the stairs for a moment. “Perhaps we should take the boxes inside.”   
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna opened the first box and peered inside. “Tools?” She pulled out a rather hefty hammer. “I think this box is for Liz.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m going to need to borrow this Portable Forge.”  
  
“Why?” Kirito asked from behind her.  
  
“There is a family reunion next month.” Asuna replied, looking over her shoulder. “And If I have something to show, then perhaps I can get Grandpa and the rest of the family to invest in us.” She stood, turning to him, “We should not have to depend on Aki for funding, nor is it a good idea.”  
  
Persephone opened the second box. “This one has supplies in it.” She reported.  
  
“Then this last one has to have the materials Liz and the others need to start Crafting again.” Kirito said, opening the last of the three boxes and froze as he laid eyes on what was on top. “Is this what I think it is?” He asked, carefully picking up what looked to be the first of three, _very familiar_ blocks of a light blue metal ingot.  
  
Asuna looked up and her eyes widened as will. “That looks like Crystalite!”  
  
Very carefully, Kirito put the block of Crystalite back into the box and put his thinking face on.  
  
“What are you pondering, Kirito-kun?” Asuna asked curiously.  
  
“I’m thinking that we need to bring one of our Smiths with us to the moon.” Kirito replied slowly, “We’ll need someone with the _Appraisal_ Skill, for the weapons, armor, and materials we come across.”  
  
“Who are you thinking of?” Persephone asked, standing up from where she’d been looking through the box she’d been cataloguing.  
  
“I was considering either Liz or Grimlock.”

* * *

  
  
**The Moon; Lunar Palace: Near the Sea of Serenity**  
  
Asuna looked around for a moment at the ruined boulevard before taking a breath. The air was stale, but not to the degree that Badb had said, which was kind of strange. But she could ponder strangeness later, she needed to get inside and set up the air purifier to make sure that everyone else would be able to breathe.  
  
She looked up into the sky and saw Earth hanging over her, hanging over her like a half moon. She took in the sight and had to stop herself from grinning at what she saw. She was on the moon. She was on the _moon_. She was one of the few who had left Earth, however, temporarily, and was now staring down on it. It was an effort to get herself to stop looking and gaping at the Earth like some bumpkin on her first visit to a city, and she was somewhat glad that she was here on her own. Kirito wouldn’t have teased her for it, and neither would the others, most likely, but still. She was here for a reason.  
  
As she made a move to take the purifier out of her inventory and find a place to put it, she stopped and carefully looked around again. The only things she could see were ruined buildings and a rubble strewn street. Yet, she could have sworn that she sensed something watching her for a moment before it was gone.  
  
She shook that the feeling out of her mind, even as she idly opened her Mystic Tome and brought her Wind Fleuret out of storage and caught it in her hand. This place was simply getting to her with its tomb-like silence, but that silence was tripping instincts honed in SAO. Things should _never_ be this quiet, that was usually the only warning someone had that a mob ambush was about to happen. But what could be expected from a ruined city? There were no living inhabitants, no animals, not even a slight rustle of the wind.  
  
And she wasn’t going to dwell on the possibility of any _non-living_ inhabitants that may be dwelling here. Spectral-type enemies always gave her problems, and she couldn’t blame _her_ memories for that. She never liked ghost stories, and movies involving them were definitely among her list of _least_ favorite movies.  
  
And one of the things they would be doing with coming here, and probably for some time after that, would be laying the dead to rest properly. With the rites they would be laid to rest when possible, but… _Hmm, better add Boxy and Badb to the list of those going,_ she thought as she finished belting her rapier to her waist. _I don’t see any bodies yet, but I will when we get to the palace._  
  
She’d always known that this visit would not be a fun one. Business before pleasure as the saying went. This just added _Tragedy_ to that list, even before business.  
  
Asuna was sure that there were restless dead here. She hoped that she wouldn’t meet any, but that was unlikely to happen, seeing how many had died in that single night. It was a nightmare. And it would be a _living nightmare_ when they started coming across the perfectly preserved bodies that were likely to be here. That was probably what she had sensed that was watching her. It was amazing that she was here. To be _on the moon_ was exciting. Something felt as if it was welcoming her home, which was probably the magic of the natural satellite reaching out to the last person it had an active connection with.  
  
It was a warm feeling that filled Asuna with a sense of safety that the tomb-like silence undermined. It made her really uncomfortable.  
  
There could also be Youma left over from The Fall, but Asuna was sure that she’d be able to handle them, if there were any. But not even her dislike of ghosts could dampen her exuberance at being on the moon. There was a sense of wonder there as Asuna looked over the ruins.  
  
In fact, now that Asuna thought about it, the silence reminded her of when she and Kirito had first gotten to the tenth floor of the Simulation of Aincrad, before they’d opened the floor.  
  
Maybe she should have brought Kirito with her after all…  
  
Was this really supposed to be the capital of her Empire? “These ruins feel as if they are haunted,” Asuna said quietly as she came to a stop in front of the gates leading into the Lunar Castle.  
  


* * *

****

  
With every breath she took, the air seemed to become fresher to her tongue. So far, there hadn’t been any bodies, and Asuna counted herself lucky that she hadn’t run across any, since she was alone. If she got lost in memories that weren’t hers _now_ there was no one to bring her back to reality.  
  
Asuna stopped, sinking into a stance and placing her right hand on the pommel of _Wind Fleuret_. Whatever it was that had been watching her outside was back. Asuna slowly eyed the room around her. Nothing. And that sensation of being watched was also gone again.  
  
“This will have to do, because I don’t dare go any farther as a Solo.” Asuna muttered as she made her way to a corner and opened her Mystic Tome. She took a moment to scroll through her Shared Inventory with Kirito to find the Air Purifier and took a moment to make sure that she set it up correctly and turned it on. “Ok, that’s that. Now to get out of here.”

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Asuna shivered as she appeared in the center of a circle made by the people that would be coming with them.  
  
“Are you alright, Asuna-hime?” Kirito asked, coming to stand next to her.  
  
“I’m fine.” Asuna said, waving him off. “Just be ready, I was reminded of the silence of the tenth floor of the Simulation.”  
  
“Supernatural silence?” Kirito asked, his eyes narrowing in concern. “Were you able to set up the Air Purifier?”  
  
“Yes.” Asuna said, refusing to elaborate.  
  
Something had clearly unnerved her.  
  
Kirito let her keep her silence, she would tell him when she was ready to. “Alright.”  
  
Asuna gave him a thankful smile before turning to Rei. “Badb, I had a strange experience up there.”  
  
Rei perked up a little. “What was it?”  
  
“The longer I was there, the fresher the air seemed to be.” Asuna explained. “I’m not sure why that would be.”  
  
Rei nodded, but was silent. She did not have an answer for her younger friend.  
  
“It sounds to me like the Moon was reacting to her Sovereign standing on her surface for the first time in millennia.” Heathcliff said from where he was standing next to Guardsman Næturvalla.  
  
Guardsman Næturvalla nodded in agreement. “While we are not really sure what the exact process is, it was speculated that before The Fall, the Queen of the Empire pulled on the dormant magic of the moon to fuel the biosphere of the satellite.” The Guardsman shrugged, “It was speculated that that is how it worked for all the other planets as well. Nothing ever came of the research done.”  
  
“Well, that’s just one more thing we’ll have to look into once this is over.” Asuna said. She turned to Persephone, “Can you take some of the group up?”  
  
Persephone nodded, “Yes.”  
  
“Good, get going then.” Asuna said as her phone rang and she picked it up. “Hello mother.” She gave Persephone a shooing motion, then she turned her full attention to her phone, and her mother.  
  
Persephone gave Asuna a nod. “Ok,” she called quietly, “Show of hands, who wants to go first?”  
  
Kirito and Heathcliff gave each other a nod, both raising their hands. Guardsman Næturvalla, Kebechet and Rameses were quick to follow. Then Silica and Kizmel raised their own hands.  
  
Persephone nodded. “I think I can safely take one more.”  
  
“I can get there on my own, And I think I _might_ be able to take one person with me.” Rei spoke up.  
  
“Then I’ll go with Persephone.” Said Boxy as he stepped forward.  
  
“I’ll go with Rei then.” Klein spoke up.  
  
“Saturn Planet Power, Make-Up!” Persephone called quietly, and Rei followed shortly after her.  
  
“Mars Power, Make-Up!”  
  
Kirito turned, “Remember Klein, Sharing Magic is all about intent.” He said. “Guardian Mars might not need it, but just in case.”  
  
Klein nodded.  
  
“We’ll go first,” said Senshi Mars.  
  
Klein nodded, carefully wrapping his arms around Mars’ middle, being sure to keep his hands away from her chest. A moment later they were gone.  
  
Kirito turned to Persephone, “What do we need to do?”  
  
“Tight circle, hold hands.” Persephone replied.  
  
Kebechet quickly grabbed both her brother’s hands and Kirito took Heathcliff’s and Silica’s. Heathcliff took one of Boxy’s hands and Solbjoem took the other with his free hand. Kizmel took Silica’s and Rameses’ hands in hers, completing the circle.  
  
Persephone closed her eyes and a moment later, they too were gone.

* * *

  
  
**Lunar Palace**  
  
Slowly, Kirito took a breath and was not all that surprised when he could breathe.  
  
The street they had appeared on was ruined, but the view in the sky was _spectacular_.  
  
“Isn’t that a beautiful sight?” Heathcliff ask softly as their hands dropped and they got out of the circle.  
  
“Mmm,” Kirito agreed. “Absolutely.” He pulled out his phone and took a picture. A moment later, he was shoving his phone back into his Inventory and reaching for his sword. And he wasn’t the only one.  
  
“You feel that?” Silica asked, sweat dripping down the back of her neck as Rameses looked around with narrowed eyes, his hand on the hilt of his sword.  
  
“Yes.” Kirito hissed, as he slowly surveyed the ruined buildings and connecting streets and boulevards around them. “It… doesn’t really feel like a Youma.”  
  
The feeling disappeared.  
  
“I have to go back and get the rest before Asuna’s mother gets to the shrine.” Persephone said a moment later. “Whatever was here, it’s gone now, probably because of me.”  
  
“Maybe, but we’ll see.” Kirito replied, “Go ahead and return for the rest of the group.”  
  
Persephone nodded, teleporting away.  
  
Kirito turned, “Are you alright brother?” he asked when he noticed the far away look in the man’s eyes.  
  
“Just a stray memory of better days.” Heathcliff replied softly. He spoke a spell weaving an illusion, to give the rest of the group a glimpse of what used to be, and what might one day be all at the same time.  
  
Kirito wasn’t aware of the hiss of an intake of breath as he saw the sparkling city that his brother had done his best to recreate in SAO.  
  
Pina gave a sad cry, as did Ēkate, from where one sat on her pet human’s head, and the other from where he sat at his human’s feet.  
  
He heard Rameses sigh and turned to him. Right, he was from that era.  
  
“It’s one thing to know,” Rameses said in Lunarian. “But seeing it… I never visited here, or at least I don’t remember it if I did. But…” He shook his head and turned to Kebechet and Solbjoem, both of whom were looking at the ruins sadly as Heathcliff’s illusion faded.  
  
“Rameses?” Silica asked.  
  
Rameses just gave her a sad smile. “It’s nothing,” he replied. “Just… again, it’s one thing to know, but another thing entirely to see it with your own eyes.”  
  
Kirito nodded. “Well, we’re here for a reason,” he said. “So, let’s not focus on the past and get to it. If we find anything useable, we need to grab it if we can and if we… find anyone’s remains... we need to ensure that they’re put to rest properly.”  
  
“Um, speaking of that…” Kebechet started and paused. “I take it that this place was hit pretty hard during The Fall, right?” She looked at Heathcliff, who nodded. “Okay. Then… where are the bodies? I don’t think that the survivors had enough time to clear them out when… _that_ happened.”  
  
Kirito paused and looked around, seeing only ruins and realized what she was implying. The ruins were there, but with the exception of Aincrad and, hopefully, Alfheim, the loss of life would have been total.  
  
So the question remained; where _were_ the bodies?

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Asuna leaned against the wall surrounding the shrine as she waited for her mother to arrive. Persephone had just left with the rest of the people who were going. “I, really don’t want to go back…” She sighed. “This trip is going to be a step back for me, I know it.”  
  
“Asuna, you said you have something you want to show me?” Yuuki Kyouko asked as she reached the top of the stairs.  
  
Asuna turned and gave her mother a smile. “Yes actually.” She looked up into the sky and then down to her phone as she got a text. Then she nodded. “Take my hand, Mother.” Asuna said, extending her hand to her mother.  
  
Kyouko blinked, giving her daughter a suspicious look.  
  
“Just take my hand mother.” Asuna said again. “You need to, in order to see what I have to show you.”  
  
Kyouko gave her daughter a suspicious look as she took Asuna’s hand.  
  
“You might want to close your eyes, Mother.” Asuna whispered, and then, they too, were gone from the shrine’s courtyard.

* * *

  
  
**Lunar Palace**  
  
Kyouko blinked, looking around. “Asuna, where are we?”  
  
Asuna turned to look into her mother’s eyes. “I know that you are concerned about me having the financial freedom to do whatever it is that I want to. You may approve of my Kazuto, but you are concerned because he doesn’t come from money.”  
  
“That is true.” Kyouko agreed slowly.  
  
Asuna smiled, “Look up, Mother.”  
  
Kyouko shot Asuna a look before doing as she was told, and her jaw dropped at the sight of the Earth hanging in the sky. “Asuna, where are we?”  
  
“Welcome mother, to Praśāntate Samudra, the Capital of the Silver Empire.” Asuna said, “The city has seen better days I’ll admit, but one day… all of this will be _mine_ , to do with as I please.” She gave Kyouko a cheerful smile, “Shall I give you a tour?”  
  
“How is this even possible?” Kyouko asked as they headed towards the Palace by the shore.  
  
“That, is a long and farfetched story.” Asuna said, “I’m not sure you’ll believe me, even with where we are standing.”  
  
“Where are we?” Kyouko asked again.  
  
“As I said, Praśāntate Samudra.” Asuna replied. “It’s located in what is now called the Mare Serenitas.” She said as they came to the first person to be seen.  
  
It was Kirito, and he seemed to be taking notes on something. “What is he doing?” Kyouko asked.  
  
“We are trying to salvage anything that might still miraculously work.” Kirito said, not looking up from his Mystic Tome.  
  
“Run across any monsters yet?” Asuna asked, looking over his shoulder.  
  
“Not yet.” Kirito reported, finally looking up at his fiancée. “It was Heathcliff’s idea for me to wait out here for you, since I have experience helping you through the memories.”  
  
Asuna nodded. “Then let’s head inside.”  
  
“Do you have any plans on returning the junk the Americans left here?” Kirito asked.  
  
“No.” Asuna replied, “Let it stand as a monument, proof of what we can do when we put our minds to it, even without magic.”  
  
Kirito nodded, making a note in a different window. “Heathcliff found some boxes sent from Aincrad,” he said as he paged through different windows. “Some look recent enough to probably be stuff they had been trying to send Rameses. You know, gear and supplies, but they only reached here. They seem to be in good condition, though he thinks that we should not open them until we get back to Earth.”  
  
“That’s fine.” Asuna said, grimacing as the Gatehouse leading to the palace proper appeared in front of them.  
  
A moment later, both Kirito and Asuna came to a sudden stop. “Mother, don’t move.” Asuna ordered.  
  
“Something’s here.” Kirito agreed, slowly pulling his Anneal Blade from its sheath on his back.  
  
Slowly, something began to appear where there had been nothing before.  
  
“Well, that explains that feeling of being watched that we’ve all had since we got here.” Kirito muttered as he and Asuna got between Kyouko and their new arrival.  
  
It looked like a cross between a Skeleton and a Zombie. All its bones were shown in sharp relief under the mummified flesh that was tautly covering them. It was dressed in armor, as if it was a guard of some kind. Maybe a guard for royalty or nobility, given how the armor was of clearly high quality. Its shambling movements seemed jerky, but Kyouko had an impression that the jerkiness of the movements was an illusion and it was moving faster than it seemed.  
  
“No way,” a boy said as he appeared before them, speaking slowly.  
  
“Rameses, what is it?” Asuna asked.  
  
“It’s a Hollow, an undead driven mad at the loss of memory,” Rameses explained, having switched to Lunarian. “Never saw one before this, but I’ve heard of them. The dead… the stories said that sometimes, they don’t stay dead and if not properly put to rest, they will linger, slowly losing themselves. There are reasons we need to ensure that dead are put to rest properly and you’re seeing why. Hollows were, thankfully, rare even in our ancient past, but we are still taught about them, just in case. They know that they once had a purpose, but they don’t remember what that purpose was.” He looked at the shambling revenant and his breath hitched. “ _Illa, Dēvate illa. Alla…_ ” His eyes closed for a moment before he reopened them. “I know who this one was.” He said quietly as his hand went to the sword belted at his hip.  
  
“Go, Princess.” Rameses repeated quietly as Persephone appeared behind them. “I’ll handle this.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Yes, this is… a family matter.” the redhead said seriously, turning to look at Asuna.  
  
Silently, Asuna nodded, though she looked conflicted. “Persephone, stay, but do not interfere unless you absolutely have to. Saving his life counts.”  
  
“Of course Asuna.” Persephone agreed.  
  
“Mother, Kirito, let’s go,” Asuna said.  
  
Asuna didn’t turn to look as she heard a haunting cry or the sounds of flames being ignited. She didn’t turn when she heard Rameses say something in Graelic.  
  
“ _Xádelfos, tha se válo se xekoúrasi,_ ” was what she clearly heard as they made their way inside.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna shivered as they entered the Royal Residence. This would not be easy.  
  
“Will that young man be okay?” she heard her mother ask.  
  
“I’m sure Rameses will be fine,” Kirito said as Heathcliff appeared. “Persephone’s there to back him up if he needs it, and from what he said… I understand why he feels as if he needs to take care of this personally.” He looked at Heathcliff. “Rameses and Persephone have stayed behind at the gates. He identified that which was giving us that feeling of being watched: a Hollow, and not like the ones from Bleach. More like Dark Souls, if the fact that it was fully armed and armored is any indication. And... he seems to know it and has insisted on taking care of it himself.” He turned to Heathcliff. “Have most of the bodies been cleared?” Kirito asked his older brother.  
  
They started coming across the dead when they properly entered the palace, so hopefully there was only _one_ Hollow they needed to worry about. Even still, he would be making sure that any future groups came armed to the teeth.  
  
“For the most part.” Heathcliff agreed. “Asuna, there is something you need to see.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “Lead the way then.” She agreed.  
  


* * *

****

  
They all came to a stop when they got to the place where Serenity, Endymion and Inanna had all died. Their bodies had been moved, though given who had died on that sword, by her own hand at that, Asuna wondered how they had managed to do it without moving the sword.  
  
“ _Defender of the Princess_.” Asuna said, her voice almost cracking at the sight. She ascended the stairs and stopped in front of it.  
  
“I reserve the right to tease you about pulling the Sword From the Stone.” Kirito said in a tone that caused her to giggle.  
  
“What and claim that I am the Once and Future Queen?” Asuna shot back.  
  
“Why not?” Kirito said with a grin.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Nephrite cursed Jadeite and his haphazard filing system. Good riddance to the moron, but nothing in this place was actually findable now! The man shook his head as he finally found what he was looking for. “Finally!” He grumbled, calling for one of Jadeite’s Youma.  
  
“Yes General?” The Youma asked in a sultry voice.  
  
“Your name.” Nephrite demanded.  
  
“Thetis.” The Youma replied. “What do you need of me?”  
  
Nephrite set the documents down and began to explain the plan to her. Every once and awhile, Thetis would nod in agreement.  
  


* * *

****

  
Queen Beryl growled as she stomped down the corridor. Three of her Generals were dead and there was nothing she could do about it. It looked like she would have to activate one of her contingency plans.  
  
She was doing her best not to panic. She needed to figure out how she was going to steal Endymion from that Moon Bitch! No, getting heated over this would be a mistake. She needed to be calm and to think things through.  
  
She headed to the Viewing Room.

* * *

  
  
**Mungen Academy**  
  
Thetis glanced around the school that she had been told to investigate and turn into an operation site. There was a strange feeling in the air. It didn’t really feel like anything, so Thetis was sure it was nothing to concern her as she opened the front door.  
  
Little did Thetis know that she would never leave the school. Once she was inside, the world went black.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kaolinite frowned as the being on the dissection table fell into dust form one moment to the next. “It seems as if the subject regained consciousness for a moment before committing suicide.” She said as she took down some notes on her notepad.  
  
One of her colleagues poked at the dust. “I wonder if we can do anything with this dust.”  
  
“I suppose we have more tests to run then.” Kaolinite said with a smirk.

* * *

  
  
**Lunar Palace**  
  
Asuna hesitated a moment before reaching out to grip _Defender of the Princess’_ hilt. She took a deep breath and made sure she had a firm grip. It didn’t take very much to pull the sword from where it had been thrust into the marble of the floor.  
  
“All hail Asuna, the Once and Future Queen of the Empire.” Kirito said in jest.  
  
Asuna turned to him with a watery smile and a giggle that was more of a sob. “Kirito-kun, that’s not funny,” she struggled to get out.  
  
Then her knees buckled as the memory of Serenity’s last moments hit her. She was able to keep from falling, but only just, as she planted the sword back into the floor to brace herself. Kirito moved quickly to her side, putting his hand on her shoulder, which she lightly touched with her free hand.  
  
Kirito placed a hand over the one she had wrapped around _Defender of the Princess’_ hilt. A moment later, the sword disappeared and Kirito caught Asuna as she leaned against him. “Inanna and Endymion are fine,” He whispered in her ear. “They both decided to stay behind. Now pull yourself together, darling.”  
  
Asuna stared up at him weakly for a moment as she gasped for breath.  
  
“Welcome back, Heathcliff.” Said a quiet voice from behind them. “I see you brought quite a few people with you.”  
  
Asuna turned to look at the person who had spoke in that very familiar voice. It was a hologram of the queen in her memory.  
  
The late queen took a moment to study Kirito and Heathcliff’s faces before smiling impishly. “I do hope you are ready for the… chewing out Captain-General Eldurlag is going to give you before he allows you to explain yourself, my dear.” She continued in amusement before turning her attention to Asuna. “And here we are, the young woman of the hour.”  
  
Asuna gently pushed Kirito away so that she could stand on her own in front of the hologram.  
  
Kirito obeyed her silent order by taking a single step away. Far enough to give Asuna some space, but also close enough to catch her, should anything happen.  
  
“I must say, this is not something I ever wanted to burden the woman my daughter would be reborn as.” Queen Serenity said. “I suppose that is my own weakness. You may not be my daughter anymore, but that cannot, and will not change how proud I am that you have her spirit inside of you, Lady Asuna the First.”  
  
Asuna held her tongue, not knowing what to say. She had not expected Queen Serenity to say these things.  
  
The hologram of the ancient queen chuckled. “What, do you think I would be stupid enough to claim you as my daughter when the woman who has taken my place is here?” She shook her head, “Still, I am proud of you.”  
  
Asuna slowly slid to her knees, hiding her eyes from the hologram. “Thank you,” she said quietly, sounding slightly choked. She had not expected to feel this way when faced with the Queen who had forced this burden on her shoulders.  
  
The queen reached out with a tiny hand and wiped away the tears Asuna hadn’t even realized had been building up in her eyes. “There is still a lot that you need to collect, my dear.” The queen said gently. “Get going, I would like to speak with the woman who replaced me.”  
  
Asuna took a shaky breath, “As you wish, _Tāyi_.” She whispered as she got back to her feet.  
  
The queen smiled as Asuna turned away. “I do believe there are still several boxes with working enchantments in the forge. And there should be enough for you to completely empty the forges. I believe that Hephaestus would want you to take it all with you.”  
  
“He did hate it when things went to waste in his forge.” Asuna agreed, fondly remembering the Leprechaun who had once been in charge of the forge here in the Moon Palace.  
  
Kirito looked from Kyouko to the hologram of the queen but said nothing.  
  
“Kirito-kun, let’s go.” Asuna said, snagging his wrist.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito waited until they were alone to speak up. “Are you alright, that didn’t go the way you thought it would.”  
  
“I’m not sure what I was expecting anymore.” Asuna replied, coming to a stop when a buildup of magic caught their attention.  
  
“What the hell?” Kirito asked in surprise. “Is that idiot trying to get himself killed?!”  
  
“It feels almost like what happened when Persephone was being possessed.” Asuna grit her teeth.  
  
“Shall we go see?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I think we should.” Asuna agreed as they both began hurrying towards the Gatehouse.  
  


* * *

****

  
Persephone huffed. “I hope you know what Asuna is going to do when she finds out what you did, Rameses.” The Guardian of Saturn said to the young man leaning against her.  
  
“It needed to be done.” Rameses muttered, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks.  
  
“That is not up for debate.” Persephone muttered. “But you used another spell in the category that you were not supposed to, when you still haven’t gotten your magic under complete control again.”  
  
That was when Kirito and Asuna appeared.  
  
“What happened?” Asuna demanded when they came to a stop.  
  
Silently, Kirito pulled out a handkerchief from a pocket and held it out for Rameses to take.  
  
Both he and Asuna ignored the fact that he was crying.  
  
Rameses took the offered hanky and started to try drying his eyes. “That Hollow was once a cousin of mine.” He admitted. “He wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to put him out of his misery.” He took a shaky breath. “I had to do it.”  
  
“Because it is your responsibility as the last living Soulfire born into that family.” Kirito finished for him.  
  
Rameses nodded silently.  
  
“Thank you for volunteering to help Ashley again.” Asuna said, and that was the last of it.  
  
“Happy to be of service,” Rameses said with a wet chuckle.  
  


* * *

****

  
“I find it strange that I can understand what you are saying.” Kyouko said slowly.  
  
“You’ll have to thank Heathcliff for that,” Queen Serenity said with a smile. “I ended up in his Simulation of Aincrad, as Kizmel and perhaps more from Aincrad did. Through that I learned your language.”  
  
“I see.” Kyouko said, crossing her arms. “And what is it that you wanted to speak to me about?”  
  
“As much as you might not understand,” Queen Serenity smiled sadly, “Your daughter is also mine, and more than anything, I want her to be happy. Don’t you?”  
  
“I do,” Kyouko said quietly, sitting down so that she could look the ancient queen in the eye. “What did you really want to speak to me about?”  
  
“What do you have planned for her wedding?”  
  
Kyouko paused for a moment. “It’s still a work in progress, but by the time they are old enough to not require the permission of myself and my husband, and that young man’s parents, we should have something worked out,” she said. “We still have a few years.”

* * *

  
  
**The Forges**  
  
Asuna pushed the heavy doors open, coughing when the movement stirred up all the dust. She took a moment to clear the air in front of her. There was dust everywhere. Not that Asuna had been expecting anything else.  
  
“What are we looking for first?” Kirito asked as he and Lisbeth followed her inside.  
  
“Boxes first, and then we can start packing this place up.” Asuna replied. “And if I am remembering how Hephaestus had this place set up, then…” Slowly, Asuna mad her way towards one of the cabinets. “The boxes are in here.” She said, pulling the doors open, and there were the boxes they’d need. “And we are in luck, there are enough in here for us to completely pack this place up and take it with us.” She started pulling the boxes out.  
  
“I’m glad that we didn’t come across his body on our way here.” Kirito said as he started opening drawers to see what was where. He held up his hands and caught the box that Asuna had thrown at him.  
  
“Remember to mark what is in which box, otherwise we aren’t going to be able to find anything once we get back to Earth.” Asuna said.  
  
“Right, and Liz would have out heads too.” Kirito agreed. “If she can’t find anything.” He pulled out a marker and checked what was in the drawer: Hammers. Marking the box, he started filling it with the contents of the drawer. Once the box was full with all the hammers, he stuffed it into their Shared Inventory.  
  
“Damn right I would,” Liz muttered as she opened another drawer.  
  
Soon, they had only the Anvils and some of the other equipment, including the Forge to pack away.  
  
Something made Asuna stop and turn. “Kirito-kun, there’s something here.”  
  
Kirito stopped what he was doing and reached for his Anneal Blade. “What is it?”  
  
Asuna shook her head. “I don’t know.” She said, “It’s coming from his living quarters, I think.”  
  
“Would you like me to go check it out?” Kirito asked.  
  
“Would you come with me?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Go ahead, I can finish packing up the equipment here.” Lisbeth said with a shooing motion, “Just don’t forget that you have some of my equipment on you, Kirito.”  
  
“Sure thing Liz.” Kirito said as he followed Asuna out of the room.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna gasped when she came across the mummified body hunched over one of the Hibernation Pods. Carefully, she brushed the golden hair away from the glass, accidentally causing the body to fall off the Pod.  
  
Her eyes widened and she gasped when she registered the faint hum that told her the Pod was still working.  
  
“What is it?” Kirito asked from behind her.  
  
“We-we might have another survivor.” Asuna turned to look at him.  
  
“But what could be in it?” Kirito asked.  
  
Carefully, Asuna pressed the blinking blue button that indicated that Hephaestus had left a message for _someone_.  
  
A hologram flickered to life weakly. “I don’t know who you are, I can only hope that you mean well.” The rough male voice rang out. “The _Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu_ are killing everyone and everything that they can find.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure how things got this bad.” He winced at the sound of another explosion that could be heard in the background. “Whoever you are, please, take care of that which is most precious to me.”  
  
The Hologram flickered off and Asuna looked through the glass.  
  
The form of a tiny kitten could barely be seen through the hibernation gas. The life signs were there, though weak. A little upturned crescent moon boldly marked the kitten’s shoulder, crisp enough that the kitten must have been part of Queen Serenity’s very last litter.  
  
Asuna reached over and slowly input the code that would wake the occupant. The pod hissed and the glass unlatched from the lock, allowing Asuna to manually pull the door open. She reached in and picked up the kitten, cradling it to her chest. “It’s funny, I can’t remember if this little one was a boy of a girl.” Asuna said with a watery voice.  
  
“We can have them checked over when we get back to Earth.” Kirito said, wrapping an arm around her gently.  
  
Asuna nodded. “We have work to do.” She looked up at him, “We don’t have time to stand here and mourn them all. Let’s get back to work.”  
  
“Do you want to put him to rest now, or whenever it is that we get up here next?” Kirito asked as he followed her out of the room.  
  
“We do it today, to not would be disrespectful, since we found him.” Asuna replied sharply.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kyouko and Queen Serenity looked up as Asuna reentered the Throne Room, carrying something. “Asuna, what’s…?”  
  
Asuna looked up at her mothers, “We found another Survivor.” She whispered, moving one arm slightly so that Kyouko could see what she was carrying. The tiny little kitten mewed at the loss of warmth.   
  
“Shh,” Asuna rocked the kitten as she uncovered one of its shoulders, revealing the moon symbol.  
  
The hologram of the queen gasped. “He, he saved her?”  
  
Asuna nodded as she knelt before the queen. “Yes, he did.” There were tears in her eyes.  
  
Kyouko looked from Asuna to the queen, “What?”  
  
Asuna chuckled wetly, “May I?” She asked the queen.  
  
Serenity smiled, “I have nothing to be ashamed of,” she replied, “And neither do you. It’s something that has always happened.”  
  
Asuna was careful not to roll her eyes at the queen’s words. “Well, in the Royal family it’s… usual? Yes, it’s usual for the, for the Queen, and sometimes the Princess to have… Carnal Relations with… an animal, _as_ an animal.”  
  
“You mean?” Kyouko asked.  
  
“No, it’s not that.” Asuna said hurriedly. “They choose one individual and they do not have anymore. Tāyi here preferred being a Sabercat, and this kitten is from her very last Litter. Which makes this ‘cat kitten very precious. Princess Serenity preferred being a Feathered Dragon.” She chuckled. “And I’m sure that I’ve met one of her children or maybe grandchildren. I don’t know how old Pina is, only that she was from the Brood she started.”  
  
“That is… some kink.” Kyouko said, trying to be polite.  
  
“It is not a Tradition that I intend to pick back up, if I decide to rebuild this Empire.” Asuna said, her eyes landing on Kirito. “Not unless it’s Kirito.”  
  
Kyouko chuckled.  
  


* * *

****

  
Rameses, Kebechet, and Solbjoem arrived a few moments later and they stopped cold when they saw the AI of the ancient queen. “Hail, Your Majesty,” Solbjoem called quietly as he and the other two bowed.  
  
“Well met, Guardsman.” the AI called back with a smile. “I expect you to look after them all for me, since I can’t as I am.”  
  
Solbjoem bowed his head in silent agreement.  
  


* * *

****

  
The rest of the expedition Asuna had remained silent, doting on the tiny kitten they’d managed to save. Rei had been more than happy to put the Blacksmith to rest with Kebechet and Solbjoem’s help.  
  
“Will you come back to visit?” Queen Serenity asked before they left.  
  
“We will be back,” Asuna replied, “To bury those that we didn’t get to this time if for no other reason, _Tāyi._ ” Asuna said with a bow.

* * *

  
  
**Earth: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
As soon as they’d all gotten back, the group converged on the meeting room in the Shrine.  
  
“That was a lot harder than I thought it would be.” Asuna said as she cradled the sleeping kitten against her chest. “I hadn’t known that _she_ knew so many, or so intimately.”  
  
“What are you going to call her?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I think… Thalia.” Asuna replied, carefully stroking the kitten’s head. “I’m surprised that she hasn’t woken up though.” Asuna suddenly leaned back as Ēkate stuck his head against her chest to sniff at the kitten.  
  
Kirito wrapped his arms around the huge Sabercat and pulled the tom away from his fiancée. “Sorry about that, Asuna.” He looked down at the ‘cat in his lap, “Ēkate, you know better.”  
  
Ēkate purred, his eyes still on the kitten. That caused Kirito to roll his eyes in response.  
  
“Damned ‘cat…” Kirito grumbled. “Are you going to keep her?”  
  
“How could you think that I wouldn’t?” Asuna gave him a flat look. “This Kitten is technically my little sister. She is my responsibility!”  
  
Kirito held his hands up in surrender, “It was just a question. You know that I didn’t mean anything by it.”  
  
Asuna sighed, “I’m sorry, Kirito-kun.” She gave him a watery smile. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”  
  
The kitten yawned widely, opening big blue eyes and looked up at them curiously.  
  


* * *

****

  
Sister smelled slightly different, but not enough for her to not know who she was. Mostly, the newness of her scent came from the tom Sister was leaning against. He smelled of Sister, and the comforting Shadows that hid the Light from those who would Destroy it.  
  
She wiggled, hoping that Sister would loosen her grip. When Sister did, She jumped into Comforting Shadows’ lap and gave a happy little purr. Sister and Comforting Shadows were _her humans_ now.  
  
She hoped Sister would train her to be a Feline Guard, because then she could be with Sister _all the time_!  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito blinked down at the little kitten that had just settled in his lap. Ēkate looked rather put out that his favorite lap had been stolen. Kirito chuckled at the funny face Ēkate was making at the kitten. He scratched behind the Sabercat’s ears. “I’m still your Human too, Ēkate.” he said in amusement.  
  
Asuna leaned against him, trying not to giggle too much.  
  
“I’m glad you are able to find amusement in this.” Kirito said with a grin.  
  
“I’m more looking forward to Ēkate and Thalia fighting over us.” Asuna said against his shoulder. “That show is bound to be amusing.”  
  
Kirito began chuckling as he used a fingertip to stroke Thalia’s soft little head. “Perhaps when she’s older, because right now Thalia’s too small for Ēkate to see as a rival, she’s a kitten, and we are going to be raising her. Ēkate could accidentally kill her she’s so small right now.”  
  
Asuna nodded as she watched Thalia cuddle with Kirito. “I’m glad she likes you.”  
  
Kirito chuckled as he scooped Thalia up and placed her on his shoulder. “Well, I like her, so, I suppose the feeling, is mutual.” He said quietly as he leaned in to give Asuna a kiss.

* * *

  
  
**May 23; Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Asuna gazed at the calendar, “Kirito-kun, my family is going to a reunion, we will be leaving after school today and be returning Sunday evening.” She turned to look at him, covering her mouth with a hand when she saw the tiny little silver kitten nestled in his dark hair, “Will you come?”  
  
Kirito huffed, “As if you could stop me.” He rolled his eyes, “Have you seen Thalia?”  
  
Asuna giggled, “Kirito-kun…”  
  
Thalia leaped down lightly from Kirito’s head and landed on Asuna’s shoulder where she started meowing demandingly.  
  
“Is she… demanding that we give her nieces and nephews to play with?” Kirito asked, “Or am I hearing that wrong?” His face going bright red.  
  
Asuna turned her attention to the kitten. “That… and she’s demanding… that I train her to be part of the Feline Guard?”  
  
“Do you know how?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I have the memories of how,” Asuna replied after a moment of thought, “But I’m not sure if we have the right equipment.”  
  
Kirito opened his Mystic Tome and opened their shared Inventory. “You seem to have a _Feline Guard Training Kit_ stored in our Inventory.”  
  
Asuna froze for a moment before looking over his shoulder. Then she reached into _his_ Inventory and pulled the _Kit_ out.  
  
“Do you have time to check that thing?” Kirito asked in amusement when he eyed the clock on his wall. “We need to get to school soon.”  
  
Asuna looked at the clock then sighed. “Right, no time to check now.” She gave the _Kit_ back to him. “Put that away and I’ll check it later.”  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes but obeyed before grabbing their school bags and following his fiancée out of the room.


	29. Funding Family Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the Yuuki Family Reunion and Asuna has something special planned.

**May 23, 2025; Kyoto: Main Yuuki Residence**

Kirito looked around not quite suspiciously as he got out of the Limo that had picked his group up from the train station. He extended his senses and found nothing. The area was safe, for the moment at least. Now sure that they weren’t in any danger, Kirito turned back to the limo and held an arm out for Asuna to take.

“Who is this kid?” an almost snide voice asked, “He looks to be of a _Lower Class_.”

Kirito didn’t react as he helped Asuna out of the limo.

“You are such a Gentleman, Kazuto-kun.” Asuna complimented as she stepped out of the limo. She gave him a peck on the cheek as she pulled him away from the limo so her parents could also get out.

“Have you ever known me to be anything less?” Kirito asked teasingly as Kyouko and Shouzou got out, Thalia cradled in the crook of his arm.

“True, you have always been my Black Knight.” Asuna agreed with a smile.

“Well, well, it seems ‘Little Miss Crashed Star’ is here.” Asuna’s spine stiffened as she straightened, turning to see that it was one of her cousins.

“Fancy seeing you here, Kenichi.” Asuna said icily. “Last I checked you were in the middle of your class.”

“Top now that I don’t have to compete with you.” Yuuki Kenichi replied, eying Kirito. “I see you finally have a Boy Toy to play with. Or is it that no one else wanted the ‘Little Yuuki Failure?” He sneered as he entered the estate.

“That…” Kyouko snarled before taking a deep breath. “He’s not worth it…”

Kirito chuckled, “He really doesn’t understand who you are, _Asuna-hime_.” He whispered in her ear. “Who was that anyway?”

“He’s my second oldest brother’s oldest son.” Shouzou replied. “I really don’t know where he gets that attitude from.”

Suddenly Asuna yelped as she was lifted off the ground and was placed on a familiar shoulder. “Kadir-niisan! put me down!” she demanded.

“Have you gotten lighter, dear Cousin?” Yuuki Kadir asked jovially as he eyed Kirito.

“How is it my fault that I’ve lost body mass over the last two years of being trapped in a Video Game?” Asuna demanded with a pout. “I missed you.”

“So, who is this young man?” Kadir asked, still eying Kirito.

“This is Kirigaya Kazuto, he’s my fiancé.” Asuna declared proudly.

Kirito bowed politely, “Pleased to meet you.”

“And what’s with the adorable kitten?” Kadir asked as he put Asuna back down.

“This is Thalia.” Asuna said, taking the kitten from Kirito. “We found her not long ago. I’m keeping her.”

“You said you had something to show us all when we spoke on the phone?” Kadir said as he led them inside.

“I do indeed.” Asuna said, “I just hope I get the reaction I want.”

* * *

****

  
Yuuki Eito smiled proudly as he looked over the large family gathering. It wasn’t often that his family, as expansive as it had become, gathered in one place like this. Now, where was Shouzou and his family? Eito looked around until he found the man and got up. Shouzou was the only son he had not greeted yet. “Shouzou-kun.” He said when he approached the young man.

“Good evening father.” Shouzou said with a smile.

“It has been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Kouichirou and Asuna-chan.” he said, “I heard there was trouble?”

“It’s been taken care of, Grandfather.” Asuna said as she hugged him.

“And who is this fine young man that seems to be your guest?” Eito asked his granddaughter. “I don’t seem to remember you saying anything about bringing him.”

“I’m sorry for not informing you, Grandfather, but I wanted it to be a surprise.” Asuna blushed lightly as she leaned against the young man, “Grandfather, this is Kirigaya Kazuto, he’s my _fiancé_.” She turned to Kazuto, “Kazuto-kun, this is my Grandfather, Yuuki Eito.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, _Honored Grandfather_ ,” Kazuto murmured, bowing politely.

“And it is a pleasure to meet you, Kazuto.” Eito replied with a bow of his own. He looked back to Asuna, “I believe you had something to show us all?”

Asuna nodded, “I’m going to need Takeshi-nii’s help though.” She said.

“Did I hear my name?” a voice boomed behind them, and the only Career Blacksmith in the family appeared over Eito’s shoulder. “Oh, it’s Asuna-chan, what can I help you with?”

Asuna grinned, “Kazu-kun, can you get that thing out please?”

Kazuto blinked, “Sure.”

Asuna smiled secretively. Her family was in for a big shock. Not even her parents knew that she could use magic, and here she was, ready to show them all _magitech_!

Takeshi was her oldest Uncle’s second son, it had come as a surprise to everyone when he hadn’t followed his brother into the family business. Takeshi had always been her favorite cousin, because he was always the nicest to her, other than Kadir.

Kazuto backed up a bit so that he had room and then, he waved two fingers towards the ground.

“Asuna-chan, what’s he doing?” Eito asked.

“Just watch, Grandfather.” Asuna reassured him, smiling.

Eito nodded slowly, his eyes turning back to Kazuto.

“Ok, let’s see, where is that thing?” Kazuto asked himself as he scrolled through what looked like a holographic list of something. “Ah ha! Here it is.” He said, pressing something.

There was a puff of smoke and there was what looked to be a forge when the smoke dissipated.

“Ta-da.” Kazuto gave Asuna a grin.

“What is that?” Takeshi asked after a moment of stunned silence.

“This is what is known as a Portable Forge.” Asuna replied sending Kenichi a smug look that said she was about to win their little competition. “Takeshi-nii, you should be able to use it with little trouble.”

“Is this thing new?” Takeshi asked taking a step closer to inspect it.

“I suppose you could say that.” Asuna allowed with a smile, she wasn’t technically lying. “I can tell you that it is much better than the forge you use at work.”

“Can I test it out?” Takeshi asked, “Is this for me?”

“Hm… How about this, if you give a friend of mine a chance to show her skills off, then we can allow you access to this Portable Forge.” Asuna said with a grin.

“Who is this friend of yours?” Takeshi asked, turning to look back at his youngest cousin.

“Someone from school actually.” Asuna said, “I think you’d recognize Rika?”

“I think I would, why?” Takeshi asked curiously.

“She’s been waiting for a chance to prove herself as a Blacksmith.” Asuna said with a sly grin. “Would you be willing to give her a chance?”

Takeshi gave his youngest cousin a long look. “Have her come by my shop in Shintokyo.”

Asuna clapped happily, she’d managed to find a professional that she trusted to watch Liz and her blacksmiths while they got themselves back up to Liz’s _very exacting_ standards! “Thank you, Takeshi-nii!” She turned to her grandfather, “This forge is something that I was gifted for my friend, I am hoping that you will back me and those under me. You have heard about The Shadow War that the Senshi have been fighting?”

Eito nodded slowly, “I have.”

Asuna sighed in relief, “Then I don’t have to explain that at least,” she said. “Well, I’m the one they were looking for, and my people need funding.”

“Is that what this is about?” Eito asked, gesturing to the Portable Forge that Takeshi was playing with.

“Yes.” Asuna agreed. “I’m hoping you’ll agree, which is why I brought the Forge for a demonstration. I have access to technology along a similar make to the Forge that I can grant you access to play with, assuming I can convince you to invest in us.”

“If this demonstration is impressive enough, I will consider it.” Eito told his favorite granddaughter seriously.

“That’s all I can ask,” Asuna replied.

* * *

**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**

Agil stood stoically in front of his cafe, his eyes narrowing as Nephrite came closer and closer. He may have been dressed in plain clothes, but he had his axe, and he was ready to defend his cafe, and his wife from the Zombie.

The Zombie wasn’t paying attention, so maybe he could ambush it.

The Zombie stopped at a far enough distance to allow himself to react and looked Agil over. It was being very cautious, which went against the experience they’d had up to this point. “So, what I suspected is true,” Nephrite said. “We really are dead, and were reborn. I always wondered, though I doubt that the others did or would have. The only question is how.”

Agil tensed. Nephrite was here for a reason. What was it? Well, he was going to find out. His grip on his axe tightened. He didn’t really want to engage in banter with the Zombie.

"Not interested in talking, I see," Nephrite said conversationally. "If you are looking for, or simply awaiting for that matter, a fight, you will be disappointed. I am not here for that, or even to try what I had. That opportunity has passed.”

“Then why are you here?” Agil asked, eyes narrowing.

“I…” Nephrite began to say and paused. “Odd, I thought I knew why I was here. Perhaps it was to assuage some curiosity of mine.” He looked at the axe being held by Agil wistfully. “You may wield that axe, but you haven’t yet earned the right to it. Not truly. But given time, you just may.”

“Perhaps by burying the past,” Agil said neutrally. He kept his urge to snarl at the Zombie restrained. Nephrite hadn’t yet made any hostile moves. He may not trust him to remain that way, and was ready for that, but he wasn’t going to initiate a fight here. Not when the man was no doubt prepared for such and would control the fight.

“Perhaps,” Nephrite agreed, studying Agil intently with those green eyes of his for a long moment. Then he turned around and stepped out of the cafe, leaving Agil to wonder at what had just happened.

Agil only relaxed once he was sure that Nephrite was not coming back.

“Andrew, is it ok to open the cafe again?” Kathy asked, poking her head out of the kitchen as Agil hung the axe back on the wall.

“Yes, but I think we should close early today.” Agil replied, turning to look at his wife.

Kathy took a moment to think about it. “Yes, I think I agree with you.” She said, “We need to get back to work on the basement.”

Agil nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Kyoto: Main Yuuki Residence**

Takeshi examined the forge in front of him, “So, how does this thing turn on?”

“Kazuto-kun, if you could?” Asuna asked, turning to give her fiancé an imploring look.

“Should have known that it would need _that_ to start up.” Kirito said to himself as he placed his hand on the plate that would tell the forge to start heating up. He eyes narrowed, even if his posture didn’t change and the forge flared with a dark grey fire as it began to heat up to forging temperatures. “There.”

Takeshi blinked at the way the forge glowed. “How does that even work?”

Kirito hit a button and read the text that came up. “Oops, seems you need active magic to start it up,” he said. “Probably to truly use it to its fullest, but I don’t doubt that most traditional forging techniques would work.”

“Does that mean that I can’t use this?” Takeshi asked.

Kirito shook his head. “No, you can still use it, now that it’s on.”

“Alright then,” Takeshi agreed, “And the color of the fire?”

“Takes on the color of the magical talent that the person who turned it on has.” Kirito replied as Takeshi went over to his chest and pulled out an ingot of Spring Steel that he’d been planning to use for a demonstration of his skills anyway and a hammer.

“You bring an Anvil?” Takeshi asked.

And it was Asuna who moved this time, making the same motions that Kirito had. “Here.”

Takeshi placed the ingot into the forge and closed the door to let it heat up.

“So, any idea what you are going to craft?” Kirito asked.

“A Dagger perhaps, or maybe a Tanto, depending on how many times I have to reheat the material, this is supposed to be a quick demonstration after all.” Takeshi replied. “So, what do you need to make full use of this forge?”

“This forge is _magitech_.” Asuna replied. “So you would need active magic to use it on your own, Takeshi-nii.”

“Would I have the ability to learn?” Takeshi asked curiously as he pulled the Ingot out and started working it. It took two more heats to fully shape the Tanto. And then Takeshi pulled out a whetstone and began shaping the edge.

“I don’t see why not.” Asuna replied, “Ask again later.”

Once he was finished, Takeshi looked down at the finished Tanto and then back at the forge. “A Tanto usually takes me several hours to complete.”

Asuna smiled sunnily at him. “Do you need someone to test the blade? Kazuto here has become quite the expert.”

“I wouldn’t say _that_ , Asuna-hime…” Kirito said with a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

Takeshi held it out, “Go ahead, if Asuna-chan trusts you then, I should be able to trust you with this blade.”

Kirito nodded slowly before taking the blade. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.” He said, before looking down at the blade and testing it. “Balanced properly, that’s good, the mark of a good Smith…” He tested the edge with his thumb, “Nice and sharp… If you could all give me some space please.”

Everyone but Asuna took three steps back out of fear as Kirito gripped the hilt properly and took a few swings. After a moment, the same dark grey fire that had lit the forge spread along the blade and several moments later, he appeared in front of Asuna, the tip of the blade a millimeter away from her nose.

The rest of the family gasped in awe and fear as Kirito smoothly moved away from Asuna and tested the edge again. “Even after a _Sword Skill_ , it’s still sharp enough to shave with.” Kirito nodded and pulled a scabbard out of seemingly nowhere, sheathing the Tanto with a flourish of the blade.

After a stunned moment, Asuna began to clap, and soon everyone else was applauding as well.

“Well done, Kazuto-kun.” Asuna whispered, giving his cheek a kiss.

Kirito blushed, “I live to serve, Asuna-hime.” He said with a teasing bow before handing the Tanto back to Takeshi.

Asuna turned to her Grandfather and saw the man nod to himself. He then gestured for her to follow him.

“I’ll be right back, Kazuto-kun.” She whispered.

* * *

****

  
“Walk with me, Asuna-chan.” Eito said pleasantly as they walked away from the crowd that was converging on her fiancé.

“Of course, Grandfather.” Asuna said, falling into step just behind the older man. “You wished to speak to me about my request I take it.”

“Yes.” He said. “And about your fiancé.”

Asuna stiffened, not that her grandfather could see it. “What about Kazuto-kun, Grandfather?”

“Where did you meet the young Samurai?” Yuuki Eito asked, turning to look at his granddaughter when they had reached his office.

“What makes you think that Kazuto is a Samurai, Grandfather?” Asuna asked as he settled himself in the chair behind his desk.

“It’s in the way your young man carries himself, my dear. Where did you find a Samurai in this day and age?” Eito replied.

“Kazuto is a Kirigaya.” Asuna replied, “His grandfather is named after Himura, I believe.” She looked thoughtful. “That’s how his grandfather taught him to be.”

“How did you meet, dear?” Eito asked.

“We met during the Sword Art Online Incident.” Asuna replied, “I was being stupid and fatalistic. I’d been fighting the monsters in the first floor Labyrinth for… four days and not sleeping.”

“Reckless girl.” Eito said fondly.

Asuna blushed. “My last Rapier had just broken when he appeared and I blacked out, because of how exhausted I was. He dragged me back to the only safe area and waited for me to wake up.” She shrugged. “He made sure I was armed, gave me a Rapier that had dropped for him since I was close by, the best one for the beginning floors, and told me about the boss meeting.”

“Did you know that you would wake up if you died?” Eito asked.

Asuna shook her head. “We were told the first day that we would die if our Health Points hit zero. We didn’t know until after the game was over that we would have, since we both believed it completely.” Asuna looked thoughtful. “We ended up teaming up for the boss, and we decided that we’d stay together. The rest is history.”

Eito smiled, “You could not have picked a finer young man.” He complemented, causing Asuna to blush prettily. “How, how much funding do you think you need?”

Asuna smiled. It wasn’t a promise of funding, but he had told her that he was now considering it and wanted more information before he made a decision.

* * *

**Dark Kingdom**

Queen Beryl frowned as she watched the last fight Jadeite had had. There was something about that girl that was insanely familiar for some reason. There had to be something she was missing. She just could not put her finger on what it was.

Perhaps she’d figure it out eventually. But that was for later. She pulled up the footage of Zoicite’s death next to watch that as well. The viewing was anything but pleasant. That a mere boy managed to kill two of her generals, albeit a different person each time, made her wonder if they really were that incompetent and weak. Or was it simply luck? Granted, Zoicite’s being emotionally compromised would have made him less than effective, but Jadeite had been her most successful General when it came to energy gathering for good reason.

The only good thing was that she learned that the Senshi now had a lot of help, mostly in the unlikely form of _Heathcliff_.

An unpleasant revelation, but one she could now plan around now that she knew he had been reincarnated.

Still, now that she _had_ that knowledge, she could do something about it. Queen Beryl took a few moments to memorize _Heathcliff’s_ new face before turning and leaving the room. Plans formed with each step.

* * *

**Dicey Cafe**

Agil looked up when the door to the Cafe opened, “Afternoon Commander, Princess.” He said as Asuna and Kirito entered. He raised an eyebrow at the tiny little body of something peeked out of Kirito’s hair, but paid no mind to the Sabercat that followed the pair inside. It was a sight that he had come to be familiar with. That Sabercat followed Kirito everywhere, even to school.

“Hey Agil.” Asuna said as she slid onto one of the stools at the bar, Kirito seating himself on the stool to her left.

Now that Kirito was sitting in front of him, Agil could see that there was a tiny little Sabercat kitten that had made a nest in the boy’s hair. “What’s with the kitten, Commander? Your Tiger looks annoyed at something.”

“This is Thalia.” Asuna said, pointing to the little kitten, “She has claimed myself and Kirito as her Humans. I think that’s what Ēkate is annoyed about.”

“You should see his face whenever Thalia claims my lap.” Kirito chuckled. “He always looks like his favorite toy has been taken from him.”

Agil barked a laugh. “Do you have pictures?”

“Many.” Asuna said smugly. “So, has there been any trouble here?”

“Nephrite came for a visit, which was strange, because he didn’t try to cause any trouble or start a fight, which I was ready for.” Agil shrugged, “He said something about not having earned my axe, which is nonsense of course.”

Kirito and Asuna both nodded in agreement.

“Well, that is certainly strange,” Kirito agreed. “Keep an eye out, especially if Nephrite comes back.”

“I’d planned on it, the first time I chased him away I think he was targeting Kathy.” Agil said darkly.

Kirito and Asuna’s eyes both narrowed, darkening. Everyone loved Kathy.

* * *

  
**Shintokyo**

Rinko looked between the two boxes she was holding. Before finally deciding that the simpler of the two was the better one to buy. While she hadn’t been throwing up in the mornings, or, well, any time of the day… She was late. She was almost two months late in fact.

“I wonder how Aki will take this if I’m right?” Rinko asked herself as she made her way to the checkout line. “The girls _have_ been asking about siblings lately…”

At this point, Rinko was hoping she was right in her intuition.

* * *

****

  
Akihiko blinked when he saw the box that Rinko had tried to hide from him. A pregnancy test? “Are you trying to tell me something, Rinko-chan?” He asked turning to look at his fiancée, who was standing in the door to the bathroom, holding what he was almost certain, was the test he’d found the box for.

Rinko walked over and settled herself next to him. “According to the instructions, one line for yes, and nothing for no.” She said, handing him the device.

Akihiko gave his fiancée a skeptical glance before looking down at the results. There was one line.

As much as he would like to panic, he shoved it down into the back of his mind. “What signs had you do the test?” He asked. Besides, he’d panicked over this topic once already. Once was more than enough.

Rinko grinned, “I’m two months late.”

“I’ll make an appointment with the doctor then.” Akihiko sighed. “No other symptoms?”

“Not every woman gets morning sickness, Aki.” Rinko giggled.

“Right,” Akihiko agreed. Aunt Midori would be ecstatic. He was happy. But why did this have to happen as their war was reaching its climax?

Children didn’t wait, and they _had_ been trying for children for a while, biological ones at any rate. Still, now was probably the worst possible timing, so _of course_ Rinko would get pregnant. “So, names…”

Rinko giggled, having guessed what was going through his mind.

* * *

**May 25, 2025: Kirigaya Residence**

She sniffed at Sister as the Human Queen bathed. Sister didn’t smell more like Comforting Shadows. Why was Sister not obeying her demands? She wasn’t getting any training either.

Sister was being stubborn. Mother would make Sister see sense if she were here! It wasn’t fair!

...Speaking of Mother, where _was_ Mother? She jumped up into Sister’s lap. “Sister, _where_ is Mother?”

Sister slowly pulled her hands away from her head and her eyes grew very sad. “Mother…” Sister meowed, “Mother isn’t here anymore, barely anyone survived that night.”

Then Sister hugged her, very tightly. Sister was acting very strange now. Sister was scaring her. Quick! Sister needs a distraction!

“When are you going to begin my training?” She asked, trying to wiggle out of Sister’s arms without hurting the Human. She really didn’t want to use her claws on Sister. Using the claws on family was just _not done_.

* * *

**Dark Kingdom**

“Yasha,” Queen Beryl called as she was going through some of Zoicite’s files. “I have a job for you.”

Yasha appeared from the corner, “Yes my queen, what may I help you with?” she asked.

Queen Beryl looked at the Youma sideways, “Set up surveillance around the one called _Heathcliff_.” She said, handing the Youma a folded picture, “That is what he looks like now.” She turned to the Youma, giving it a very serious look. “Hear me, _Heathcliff_ is not to be attacked in any way. This is strictly a fact finding mission, this is not, _not_ an Energy gathering mission.”

“Yes my queen.” Yasha agreed.

“We will take him out, but only _after_ we’ve learned everything we possibly can that is useful to our cause.” Queen Beryl finished. “You are dismissed.”

Yasha bowed low to Queen Beryl and left the woman there.

Once Yasha was gone, Queen Beryl turned back to Zoicite’s files to make sure that she hadn’t missed anything. Once she was finished, she left the room that had once been Zoicite’s room. Next, she headed for Jadeite’s room.

* * *

****

  
Queen Beryl found Jadeite’s filing system to be very inane, not to mention confusing. Half the time she couldn’t find anything useful, and the other half she stumbled on what it was she was looking for, because it wasn’t where she thought it would be… _When she was looking for something else._ And _that_ was usually after what she’d been looking for originally was no longer useful. Typical really.

“I really need to have this place reorganized.” Queen Beryl muttered to herself as she pulled a drawer open. As always, the filing and room in general was a mess. Nothing made sense in this room. And it wasn’t her fault, not that that made the situation any better.

There had to be some way to salvage the situation. Now if only she could figure out how. Perhaps she should take the time to reorganize now? It would give her something to do while she contemplated her predicament.

* * *

****

  
Queen Beryl was around half finished reorganizing Jadeite’s files when she found the picture.

It was folded into quarters and looked to be several months old. Curious, Queen Beryl carefully unfolded the picture and studied it carefully for a moment.

The picture was of a young woman with chestnut hair and eyes, walking with the boy that had killed Jadeite. Her clothes were unremarkable, but for the glittering jewel hanging from her necklace.

Queen Beryl could have sworn that she knew that jewel from somewhere. Slowly, her eyes widened and her face paled as she realized what she was looking at.


	30. Fighting Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting distraction are... fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mantis is the London Youma. Named so because the picture on the Wiki looks like a Praying Mantis.

**June 7, 2025; Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
“Congratulations on your wedding, Aki.” Kirito said as he and Asuna sat across from Akihiko and Rinko on one of the couches in the Kayaba apartment. “I thought you were going to wait until we’d dealt with the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
“We _were_ going to.” Aki agreed, “But something came up.”  
  
“Something?” Asuna asked, holding a cup of tea in one hand and petting Thalia’s head with the other. “The way you say that sounds like it’s a rather big something.”  
  
Aki very deliberately did not meet their eyes. Instead, he turned to look at his office computer.  
  
Kirito’s eyes narrowed, “Aki, what aren’t you saying?” he asked as Ēkate jumped up onto the couch next to him.  
  
Ēkate stood on Kirito’s lap and picked up Thalia by the scruff of her neck, causing her to complain loudly, and dropped her in Kirito’s lap, looking rather smug.  
  
Kirito blinked down at Thalia, shot narrowed eyes at Ēkate, who nudged Thalia with one of his huge paws before turning thoughtful eyes back on his brother. “You got Rinko-nee pregnant, didn’t you?”  
  
“Yes, actually.” Aki replied in a tone that wasn’t _quite_ meekly. “But, what can you do?”  
  
“Don’t talk as if you aren’t happy, Aki.” Rinko said smugly. “They come whenever they want.”  
  
Aki grimaced, “Don’t I know it. Still wish they would have waited though.”  
  
“Yes, talk about bad timing.” Asuna agreed. “What do you have planned in the way of defenses?” She asked.  
  
“I placed a spell on the hallway that alerts me to who is here.” Aki replied with a grimace. “Granted, I have to renew the spell every other week, but it’s a small price to pay to keep Rinko safe.”  
  
Asuna nodded with a smile. “There’s not much else you can do without making living here untenable for your neighbors.”  
  
“Exactly.” Aki replied, eying the snack tray. It was bare. “Would you be interested in some more snacks?”  
  
“Yes please.” Kirito said, completely ignoring Thalia as the kitten climbed up onto his head to hide in his hair, which was surprisingly easy for her, considering the color of her fur.  
  
“In that case,” said Rinko as she leaned forward. “I will be right back.”  
  
Asuna pushed herself up from her seat, “Let me help you, Rinko-nee.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito waited a few moments to make sure that the women were out of earshot. “You know you have really _bad_ timing, Aki…” he grumbled.  
  
“Mother told me that all the time.” Aki said in amusement, “I remember her complaining about having her career being put on hold.”  
  
Kirito cracked an amused smile. “I don’t find that surprising at all.” He said quietly as he picked up one of the pictures on the side table. “I wish I could have known them.”  
  
“They loved you very much.” Aki said reassuringly  
  


* * *

****

  
“So, how far along are you, Nee-chan?” Asuna asked as she mixed the cookie batter together for Rinko.  
  
“Not very far, I think I’m just about three, or is that four months along now,” Rinko replied thoughtfully from where she was placing foil on several cookie sheets. “I’m due in November.”  
  
“Ēkate did look more smug than he usually does.” Asuna noted. “Then again, he’s probably known for a while.”  
  
“Yes, that cat.” Rinko chuckled with an amused smile. “That half-grown tiger seems to be more intelligent than a normal cat…”  
  
“That would be his Sabercat ancestry.” Asuna replied, “Sabercats as a rule are very highly intelligent. It’s a holdover from their Sabertiger roots.”  
  
“Really?” Rinko asked.  
  
“Mhm, though taming those first Sabertigers was a task and a half, according to the girl in the back of my head.” Asuna explained after a moment. “in fact… I think it was one of the queens that managed it.”  
  
“Asuna-chan.” Rinko said, her expression suddenly serious.  
  
Asuna blinked. “Yes, Rinko-nee?” She asked.  
  
“Have you thought about what will happen once the Emperor finds out about Rameses?” The older woman asked. “I know you don’t want to revive anything, but that boy, and his whole family are your Subjects. You are going to have to take charge of them.”  
  
Asuna bit her lips. “I’ve been trying _not_ to think about it, honestly.” She sighed, “I don’t want…” She stopped to think about what she was going to say. “I don’t think I _can_ be who they, especially Guardsman Næturvalla, want me to be…”  
  
“Asuna, you are doing just _fine_.” Rinko said with a smile. “None of them expect for you to have the experience of your past life, and none of them expect you to _be_ her. Guardsman Næturvalla knows that you are not _her_.” She pulled Asuna into a tight hug. “All they need is for you to do your best.”  
  
“Thanks, that makes me feel so much better.” Asuna whispered.  
  
Rinko’s eyes gleamed, “So, once you are old enough, how many kids do you want to have?”  
  
Asuna’s eyes widened when she looked into the older woman’s. Her lips twitched upwards in mirth as she tried not to laugh. “Are you serious?”  
  
“As serious you are about my brother-in-law in the other room.” Rinko said with a wicked grin.  
  
“At least enough to build a Raid.” Asuna admitted with a blush.  
  
“Are you going to have them all?” Rinko asked. “Because that is a lot of time spent on your back…”  
  
“We’ll see,” Asuna said as she finished mixing the cooking batter and started scooping out portions onto the cookie sheets. “Especially since I’m sure there’s a spell for this specific purpose…”  
  
The gleam in Asuna’s eyes was positively evil. And that made Rinko laugh.

* * *

  
  
**Dicy Cafe**  
  
Agil was almost finished with cleanup when something pinged on his senses. Thankfully, Kathy was not there. It was the same feeling he’d gotten when Nephrite had… _visited_.  
  
That Zombie was getting annoying, the way it seemed to skulk around the cafe. The feeling was rather subtle, so Agil was not sure that he’d know what was going on, had he not developed a _System Awareness_ that was just starting to border on _Hypersense_.  
  
Nephrite was watching him, and not knowing the why was driving him crazy. Was the Zombie after Kathy again? Or was Nephrite looking to test _him_ instead.  
  
Well, whatever it was, Agil hoped that the confrontation wouldn’t be dragged out too long.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Queen Beryl had been in a flurry of motion since she’d realized who that girl was. She needed to set things in motion just so, in order to remove the Moon Bitch from the equation.  
  
And she needed to do it fast. It didn’t even matter that the girl was so young. Younger than her Guardians by several years it seemed, which had initially surprised her. Not only that, but she was so thin that she must have been caught in Zoicite’s trap. And that meant that Heathcliff likely had been training her the entire two years.  
  
Who could she sent to take care of the girl? She didn’t want to risk the DD Girls just yet. With the footage of Jadeite’s and Zoicite’s deaths, the DD Girls suffering the same fate were rather high.  
  
Perhaps Manis had recovered enough from his encounter with Venus to be useful again…

* * *

  
  
**Downtown Setagaya**  
  
Nephrite sipped at his coffee as he thought about what to do. His reincarnation was certainly different than he had thought the man would be. He was taller for one. Much taller. And he had not yet earned that ax that hung on the wall. Of course, he would have to know how to earn the right to wield it. Right now, being his reincarnation, this man had a grace period to earn it, but doing so would be up to him.  
  
After all, earning the right to wield it was different for each person. Maybe the man’s musing on burying the past, namely killing him, was the key. Or maybe it was something else.  
  
That they had all been reincarnated also quite neatly explained why there were so many holes in his memories and why there had been in his compatriots’ memories as well. How was he to test his reincarnation without being killed? It would take some pondering.  
  
 _After_ he made himself scarce.

* * *

  
  
**May 9, 2025; Shintokyo: SAO Survivor School**  
  
Kirito looked up from his seat at the bench outside when he felt Asuna approaching but didn’t dismiss his Mystic Tome. “Afternoon, _Hime_.” He greeted. “What’s for lunch?”  
  
“Always thinking with your stomach?” Asuna asked in amusement as she placed the fancy lunchbox between them. “Typical boy.”  
  
Kirito chuckled gently. “Always thinking of _you_.” He replied, turning his attention to the lunchbox.  
  
“Charmer.” Asuna muttered with an appreciative smile on her face as she opened their lunch.  
  
There were little hot dogs that had been cut to look like octopi, rice, and vegetables in the top container, in the next compartment, there were a couple of sandwiches and some teriyaki chicken.  
  
“Are you sure this is enough for us both?” Kirito asked, looking up at his fiancée.  
  
“I bought this one specifically before school even started.” Asuna replied as she pulled out some chopsticks which he took. “This box has four compartments, so there’s more. And if this proves to be not enough, well, I can always either bring more lunches, or, I can always special order a lunchbox that will be big enough.”  
  
Kirito closed his eyes as he took a bite. “Delicious, as always.”  
  
Asuna blushed, “So, what are you doing?” She asked, scooting closer.  
  
Kirito turned to his Mystic Tome. “Well, I am making plans for more trips to the moon.” He explained. “We stayed in the vicinity of the royal residence, and for good reason during our first trip, but we still need to find a ship for the trip we haven’t even started the planning stages _of_ going to Aincrad…”  
  
“And of course,” Asuna spoke up as she picked up one of the sandwiches, “We need to bury everyone that we find.” She shivered. “And we didn’t run into _her_ mother. I’m not looking forward to having to deal with even more dead bodies. And that’s not even getting into what kind of state the Spaceport is going to be in.”  
  
“Hey,” Kirito poked her cheek gently. “We can handle it. We _will_ handle it.” He said after he was sure that he had her attention. “More than anything, we need that ship.”  
  
Asuna nodded thoughtfully. “I agree.” She curled into his side. “Let’s not think about that for a while and concentrate on our schoolwork and taking down the Youma.”  
  
“Everything will be coming to a head soon.” Kirito said as he closed his Mystic Tome obediently. “Soon, we’ll need to take the fight to them.”

* * *

  
  
**Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
Kirito gave his sister-in-law a smile before kneeling down to look into Ēkate’s eyes. “I know that you’ve missed me,” he said, scratching one of the Sabercat’s ears, “But right now I need you to keep an eye on Rinko-nee, she’s going to have kittens, you know. I can take care of myself.”  
  
Ēkate meowed loudly, almost protesting.  
  
“No, Ēkate,” Kirito said quietly, “Rinko-nee needs you more than I do right now.”  
  
Ēkate seemed to pout and sulk some before pressing his forehead against Kirito’s in acceptance and made his way over to Rinko, purring as he rubbed against the woman.  
  
Kirito smiled.  
  
“You were sure that was going to work?” Aki asked.  
  
“Asuna and I have been putting Ēkate and Thalia through the Feline Guard Training. Not that we’ve gotten very far.” Kirito replied with a shrug. “Thalia is with Asuna right now, and I’ve started planning the next couple of trips to the moon.” Kirito turned to look up at his brother. “I’m also trying to come up with a plan for when we take the fight to that Zombie.”  
  
“So, Ēkate knows that he’s on the job then.” Aki mused.  
  
“Well, you can’t be with Rinko-nee all the time.” Kirito pointed out, “Now you won’t have to worry so much.”  
  
“Which is admittedly nice.” Aki agreed. “So, plans?”  
  
“I’ve started by breaking down our people into different lists…” Kirito began.  
  


* * *

****

  
Manis did his best to keep out of sight as he watched Heathcliff interact with the other humans. He knew that Queen Beryl didn’t want him to attack, but he was sure that the queen would not mind if an opportunity to do so arose.  
  
He’d have to keep an eye on the situation. Perhaps he should report in and then find a quick snack? Yes, that sounded like a splendid idea.  
  
Mantis took a moment to look around before picking a person at random.  
  
As this was a recon mission, caution would have to be key. That meant that his feeding habits would have to change.   
  
That shouldn’t be too hard, right?

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo Market**  
  
Rinko giggled as she watched the huge cat pace around her in a large circle. He was acting silly. Then again, she also didn’t know how members of the Feline Guard were supposed to act. For all she knew, Ēkate could be the very picture of professionalism.  
  
He was following her closely enough that he could protect her but at the same time, he wasn’t so close that she would be tripping over him. What a good cat he was!  
  
It was so kind of Kazuto to leave him with her so that Aki wouldn’t worry about her going out alone!  
  
It wasn’t until she and Ēkate were leaving the Market that she actually got to see the results of what Kirito had been teaching the huge cat.  
  
Someone behind her grabbed her shoulder and turned her around harshly. But that was all they were able to do before Ēkate was on the man with what could only be a roar.  
  
Her brother-in-law’s cat suddenly sounded a lot more like the half-grown tiger he looked like instead of the housecat he actually _was_.  
  
The illusion of a young man with brown hair and eyes was broken the moment Ēkate landed on top of the Youma, revealing what looked like a cross between a person and a Praying Mantis. The confrontation was over almost before it had even begun as Ēkate tore its throat out with his teeth and claws.  
  
Ēkate then seemed to prance back to Rinko’s side and rubbed against one of her legs with a smugly satisfied expression on his face.  
  
The sight made Rinko laugh.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Park**  
  
Agil didn’t relax until he extended his senses and found no one around when he and Kathy arrived at the park for their planned picnic. It was an outing for just the two of them.  
  
The feeling he was getting reminded Agil way too much like an escort mission back in the Simulated Aincrad. And it was a feeling that he absolutely hated feeling when he was with _Kathy_ , who had proved herself capable of using his axe.  
  
His wife was _hot_ when using it. Thank goodness he’d been alone, and sitting down when he’d reviewed the security footage.  
  
No, his Kathy was _not_ the equivalent of an NPC in a training simulation. _Not at all._  
  
He pulled his mind away from the past. This was a rare quiet moment and Agil wanted to savor it as long as possible.  
  


* * *

****

  
Nephrite watched the pair dispassionately as they went about their day of rest. Normally, he was a patient man, but he was starting to reach his limit. He was _hungry_ and the Hunt had gone on for so long...  
  
It had been going so well in the beginning too! And then the Sleeping Meals had woken up. With only the Queen of his Pack and himself left, there was more food for them to share but, it just was not the same without his brothers.  
  
Nephrite started to subconsciously emit Killing Intent, directed at his Reincarnated Form. The huge black man was all muscle, with very little fat on his frame. All of that muscle! For a moment, Nephrite let himself fantasize about what it would be like to sink his teeth into that flesh, to rip it and tear it away from the still warm body and devouring it all.  
  
It thought about chewing on the bones and shattering them to get at the delicious Marrow inside them.  
  
The High Powered Prey had been _oh so close_ to being ripe for the picking and now… Nephrite growled. Now they had assistance that they _should not have_!  
  
How frustrating this was! No wonder his brother had stepped out of character so badly! This facade was getting harder and harder to maintain.  
  
Nephrite shook his head to dispel the almost alien thoughts from his head. _What was…_ he began to think before shelving the thought. He would have time for that later. Right now, he had a feeling that it was the best time to act.  
  


* * *

****

  
Agil brought up his axe and blocked the sword coming down on him. It was Nephrite. It wasn’t as if he had not been expecting such an attack. ‘Kathy, stay behind me.” He said to his wife.  
  
“Andrew, what’s going on?” Kathy asked, concern in her eyes.  
  
Agil pushed Nephrite away and stood. “So, you finally decided to attack, I can’t say that I’m surprised.”  
  
Nephrite’s green eyes narrowed as he pushed Agil away. He was analyzing the taller man’s stance, to see what kind of openings there were for him to take advantage of.  
  
He attacked again.  
  
Agil deflected the sword to one side and made an attack of his own. If he could time this properly, then he’d win.  
  
More than that, he didn’t just want to win, he _needed_ to win. To protect Kathy more than any other reason. Sure, getting rid of the last General would be a win for them all, but right now, Agil was more worried for his wife’s safety.  
  
Agil did his best to cut the man off, to stay between Kathy and his enemy.  
  
Nephrite deflected his attack with ease.  
  


* * *

****

  
Nephrite sidestepped the tall man, already partly planning what to do, once he’d killed the man. And the wife as well. He eyed the young woman who was watching the fight with focused eyes.  
  
He would have to deal with the woman later. Nephrite turned his mind back to the fight, lest he be taken by surprise.  
  
Nephrite could feel the alien hunger gnawing at his ability to reason. He had to finish this quickly.  
  
He lunged at Agil, who deflected his attack. The alien thoughts of hunger were getting harder and harder to ignore, and as a response, Nephrite’s attacks became more erratic and less focused.  
  
Soon, the hunger would be all consuming. He had to finish this before that happened.

* * *

  
  
**Tomoeda: Ashley’s Tailoring Shop**  
  
“What are we doing here again, Asuna-hime?” Kirito asked.  
  
“Rameses’ punishment.” Asuna turned to him, “He’s been moping ever since we got back and I want to take his mind off of what he had to do.”  
  
“And the theme?” Kirito asked as he opened the door for her.  
  
“You’ll see.” Asuna said with a secretive smile.  
  


* * *

****

  
Ashley smiled as Kirito and Asuna came in through the front door. “Everything is all set in the back for the fashion show, Commander, Princess.”  
  
“Good to see you Ashley.” Asuna greeted in return. “I hope everything is ready?”  
  
Ashley nodded in agreement. “Best of all, our model is not actually that annoyed, this time.” The older woman gave Kirito and Asuna a look. “What happened up there anyway?”  
  
“Ran across a Hollow the wouldn’t have been out of place in Dark Souls.” Kirito grimaced. “A cousin. Rameses had to take care of it.”  
  
“Restless Undead are not fun to deal with.” Ashley said, paling.  
  
“This is more to take his mind off what he was forced to do than to punish him for using his magic when he still doesn’t have his control fully back.” Asuna replied. “That’s something I think we all need right now.”  
  
Kirito nodded. “I think that’s an understatement.” He said, “It’s a good thing Rinko-nee is pregnant, otherwise, I’m fairly sure that Aki would be in a similar condition.” He paused to think about it for a moment. “Even if she has the worst timing ever.”  
  
Ashley had stars in her eyes at the mention of babies. “The Captain should bring her over sometime, so that I can make some baby clothes. And maternity clothes too, can’t forget those!” She said while clapping her hands gleefully. “I need to be in practice for when a certain _someone_ has children of their own after all…”  
  
Both Kirito and Asuna backed away from their good friend and tailor. “I get the feeling that we aren’t the only ones she’s talking about…” Asuna whispered.  
  
Kirito nodded, “I know.”  
  
Hopefully it would not end badly for anyone.  
  


* * *

****

  
Rameses huffed as he carefully pulled at the material of the dress he was in. And it was only the fact that he desperately needed a distraction from their recent trip that kept him from being more than mildly annoyed at what Ashley had decided to dress him in.  
  
Why was he dressed like this again? More importantly, why did she insist on _all_ the accessories, those stilts called shoes included? And the undergarments, seriously, what was it all made of, truesilk? It sure felt like it might be.  
  
She was also expecting him to model several different styles of bridal dresses as well.  
  
Well, at least he wasn’t the only one being forced to dressed up. Though he hadn’t exactly seen what Silica was dressed in yet.  
  
Speaking of, why had her face gone red like that? What did she know that he, not being from Earth, this Era, or this particular nation (and wasn’t _that_ an interesting thing to learn) didn’t?  
  
Well, this was working as a distraction, since he wasn’t actively thinking about his cousin anymore. His older siblings were never going to let him live this down… but he could deal with their teasing.  
  


* * *

****

  
Silica looked herself over in the mirror carefully. “I don’t think I’m old enough to pull this off…” She said to herself as she tugged very gently at the jacket of the tuxedo she was wearing.  
  
Dark blue and silver, her Guild Colors. Not that she didn’t look good in them. She just didn’t think she was tall enough to pull it off.  
  
“My, Silica-chan looks adorable!” Ashley clapped her hands happily. “You look good in blue.”  
  
“I don’t know if I’m tall enough to pull this off…” Silica grumbled, blushing.  
  
Ashley smiled gently, “You look fine.” She giggled, “I’m sure that Rameses’ eyes are going to pop out of his head, and Lind will get all growly.”  
  
“Am I not allowed to look nice?” Silica asked, trying not to giggle.  
  
“More he’ll be muttering about needing a rather large stick.” Ashley giggled, “To beat off the idiots.”  
  
“If one of those idiots is Rameses, he’d probably try to fight back, using the bouquet as a weapon,” Asuna commented as she walked in. “It would be just like him.”  
  
“Indeed, but I’m sure that Rameses will have proven himself to Lind and the rest of us, by the time Silica’s old enough to get married.” Kirito said casually from where he was leaning against the doorway. “Looking good Silica.”  
  
Silica’s whole face went bright red. “T-thank you, Commander…” She squeaked. Why did his complements always fluster her?  
  
“Then again, there is still that one dress you have for Silica, right Ashley?” Asuna asked with a grin.  
  
“I do indeed.” Ashley agreed with a large grin. “For later, once this initial fashion show is done with. And I guarantee that Rameses won’t know what hit him.”  
  
“Wonderful, that’s just what he needs too.” Asuna said, giving Ashley a nod.  
  
“I live to serve, Asuna-sama.” Ashley purred.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kebechet and Solbjoem were both grinning as they watched their younger brother, adoptive or honorary didn’t matter, model dresses for them all.  
  
They were both rather happy Spriggans, seeing as they had blackmail to hold over Rameses’ head. Not that they’d actually do anything with the material. They were in full agreement with Asuna about their brother needing something to take his mind off what he’d been forced to do during their little trip to the ruined Capital.  
  
Umi thought this was the funniest thing ever. And that was fine, because they all needed something to laugh at. Rameses only smiled indulgently at that, while shooting both his adopted sister and her elder brother annoyed looks at their laughter.  
  
Ashley was happy to have pictures for her scrapbook. And the show had given her several ideas for later.  
  
Finally, it was time for the last set, with a twist this time, as Ashley had handed Rameses something to model that had him breathing a sigh of relief before something else went through his mind and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.  
  
That it was male clothing was a relief, but the fact that Ashley said it was of the same style that Silica wore when he wore those dresses… well, it wasn’t difficult to determine why Silica had been pulled aside.  
  
Ashley gave Rameses a rather cheerful smirk. “I’ll let you get dressed, Rameses.” she said, amusement dripping from her tone, as she left the room.  
  
“R-right,” Rameses agreed, his cheeks a bright, bright red. He liked Silica, true, she hadn’t been anything less than nice to him. And he found that they shared a brand of snarky humor. But he hadn’t known her _nearly_ long enough to be thinking about her in the kind of dress that she was now going to model for them all. _Bad brain! Stop!_ Rameses thought as he allowed Ashley to lead him to a different changing room to change.  
  
“Remember to hang that dress up properly, and to ensure that the rest of the garments are folded properly.~” Ashley said cheerfully.  
  


* * *

****

  
Silica was sure that her face would be permanently red when she saw the thing she would be modeling for everyone.  
  
The wedding dress was in the ballroom style, a cobalt or sapphire blue with white flower patterns embroidered onto the body and chest. In her ears were sapphire earrings that matched her dress. On her head, there was a tiny little silver tiara with a long veil attached to it.  
  
The dress itself was certainly the type of dress she would just _love_ to wear when she got married for real. Of course, there were some minor issues, and less with the dress. It made Silica quite aware that she was rather… lacking in the chest area. The plunging neckline might have been embarrassing, had Silica had anything to actually show off, at least in her own humble opinion.  
  
On her feet, Silica had on a pair of blue heels with a thankfully low heel and were comfortable that matched the dress. Not that her shoes could be seen, since the dress fell all the way to the floor.  
  
 _At least this dress isn’t strapless._ Silica mused as she turned this way and that, trying to see the complete dress.  
  
“Wow, you look amazing Silica!” Silica spun around to see that it was just Asuna.  
  
“Hello again, Princess.” Silica said quietly, curtsying for the older girl.  
  
“You are going to knock Rameses’ socks off.” Ashley said with a rather pleased smirk on her face.  
  
“Ashley!” Silica hissed, blushing brightly. She could hear Kirito snickering from the doorway.  
  
“Lind isn’t the only one who’s going to need a club to keep idiots away from Little Sister.” He said.  
  
“Oi! I can handle myself, Commander!” Silica protested rather loudly.  
  
Of course you can.” Kirito agreed, “But you shouldn’t _have_ to, at least when wearing something like _that_ if you don’t have to.” He paused. “I don’t think you’ve officially met my little sister yet?”  
  
“I… don’t think so actually.” Silica replied.  
  
“Well, Sugu’s boyfriend is going to get the same talk that we are going to give any boy who thinks he’s good enough for you. And on top of that, Heathcliff will also be looming.”  
  
Silica nodded slowly, understanding the reasoning. Thanks.” She said, looking to the side with a small smile on her face.  
  


* * *

****

  
Rameses looked himself over in the mirror, taking in just how well the tuxedo fit him. Ashley had a good eye for colors, and she seemed to have his measurements well in hand. He really didn’t know what to make of that, so he turned his attention to what he was wearing.   
  
It was a rather nice blue that amazingly didn’t clash with his red hair. Closer to the color of his eyes than anything. He looked better in this tuxedo than he had in any of those dresses in his own, humble opinion.  
  
It was kind of strange actually, he hadn’t thought he would look this good in blue. He was more used to the browns and greens that he favored while going through Aincrad’s biomes and his clothing tended to reflect that. And he would admit, he looked _good_ in the darker greens. But Ashley definitely had an eye for colors.  
  
“Rameses, are you ready?” Came Ashley’s voice. “It’s almost time and I want you to come on out and see what I got Silica to wear.”  
  
Rameses looked at the door and nodded to himself. He wasn’t wearing the dress this time, so he was going to be _far_ less embarrassed. Well, he hoped.  
  
It was time to face everyone, and Silica.  
  
He opened the door to the dressing room and walked out before stopping cold.  
  
 _Is it getting warm in here?_ He asked himself as he looked at what Silica was wearing.  
  


* * *

****

  
Silica’s and Rameses’ faces were bright red as they made their way down the makeshift catwalk in Ashley’s shop. And not entirely from being on display to everyone.  
  
Rameses’ eyes had almost popped out of his head the moment he saw Silica in her dress, though he didn’t comment of the color, given that the dresses Ashley had stuffed him in were almost all white, indicating that it may be a traditional color. He came from a society where different colors were used depending on the cultures of those getting married.  
  
He got the inkling that some of the dresses he’d modeled came from a few different cultures that were now native to this planet. All of them had looked nice, very pretty. But the best one… had been the one Silica wore at the end. _Bad brain! Don’t go there! Silica has… a_ lot _of big brothers…_ He would have put his face in his hands, but they were both still in front of everyone. Not to mention one hand still being occupied by a blushing Silica.  
  
He glanced at her out the corner of his eye, even as she smoothly walked along the catwalk with a smile. Ashley definitely did well with the color for Silica’s dress. Blue suited her, though he wouldn’t be surprised if she looked good in some of the darker reds.   
  
Well, at least the fashion show was finished, for the moment. Maybe next time they could get Yomi and Umi to agree to also dress up? While Yomi’s human form wasn’t really that outstanding, her true form was. And Umi was just adorable.  
  
 _Though if anyone wants her to be wearing a wedding dress, Rameses, Solbjoem and Kebechet are going to want to have a few words with a soon to be broken idiot,_ Silica thought.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito looked over his notes in his tablet as he went through the reports. Asuna and the Inner Senshi needed to go. Kizmel wasn’t going to allow herself to be left behind…  
  
Aki and Guardsman Næturvalla were also going to insist, and if he knew Silica, she would try and attach herself to the group at the last second, age restriction enforcement be damned. Good thing he had Rameses and Kebechet already tapped to go with them all just in case.  
  
If not needed, the two of them would be sent home. Both may be over the minimum age limit, but Kirito had already resolved to keep those who weren’t yet adults out of the fighting as much as possible as it stood. He was also aware of just how unlikely it was for them, and Silica for that matter, to be kept out of this.  
  
They would be a part of the Search and Rescue group. While fighting was going to be likely for them, they would be avoiding it where they could, at least until they started escorting any survivors out.  
  
Klein’s guild was going to insist on going. Which was a really good idea, they could retrieve the hostages, if there were any still alive. He’d be happy getting a single potential ally out, but he wasn’t about to hold his breath.  
  
He already had twenty-two names on the list, not counting the Soulfire siblings. That was half a Raid Group, give or take a few people. Who else could he bring? Persephone?  
  
Yes, they’d need a battlefield medic, especially if there were hostages to worry about.  
  
Who else?


	31. Wraiths, Trips, and Raids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nephrite dies and they get to deal with more Hollows.

**Minato Park**  
  
Agil took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow, not taking his eyes off of Nephrite. This fight had already been going on for several minutes. “ _Sword Wraiths_ are such a pain in the ass!” Agil muttered angrily, tightening his grip for a moment before relaxing it again.  
  
“And you would know how?” Nephrite asked snidely.  
  
Agil huffed, waiting for Nephrite to attack again.  
  
Nephrite snorted as he attacked again. He needed to finish this as quickly as possible.  
  
Agil caught the sword with the haft of his axe and punched Nephrite in the face.  
  
There was a very satisfying sound of a large crack of a broken nose and Agil smirked as he watched Nephrite fly into a nearby tree and get caught by the higher branches.  
  
This fight would be over soon, one way or another.  
  


* * *

****

  
It growled internally as it came to a stop in the canopy of the tree he’d been thrown into. Prey was unusually strong and seemed to be determined. There had to be something It could do to get this Prey off balance… Its eyes drifted away from Prey and spotted Dainty Prey.  
  
It licked its lips and jumped out of the tree, aiming for the young woman. _What am I doing?_ Nephrite asked himself. _I should be going after the one_ armed _not the woman!_  
  
 _Wait, those Alien thoughts of hunger… They were… They couldn’t… belong to a_ Sword Wraith. ...Fuck, they did! Well, he was not about to let the _Sword Wraith_ finish eating him from the inside.  
  
He was Nephrite, second of the Shitennou and the only one left alive. He was going to die, yes. But he wasn’t about to let some monster decide his fate!  
  
It took some doing, with how strong the feelings of Hunger had become, but he managed to redirect his charge, away from the woman and towards his Reincarnation instead. His sword made contact with the huge man’s axe again.  
  
The young woman screamed in fear and shock.  
  
Then there was pain and he watched as his body fell to the ground headless.  
  
 _It looks like you’ve earned that axe after all,_ were the last thoughts he had as everything darkened around him even as the Sword Wraith screamed.  
  


* * *

****

  
Agil sighed in relief as Nephrite screamed his death knell, sending a jolt of terror down his spine. “It’s ok now Kathy.” He called. “You hurt at all?” His wife came first, reporting to Heathcliff could come later.  
  
Kathy flung herself into Agil’s arms as she cried in relief. When she calmed down, she pulled back. “Andrew, I need to be able to protect myself better. I should not have frozen like that.”  
  
Agil rubbed his wife’s back. “Then let’s turn you into a mage. I’m sure that Heathcliff wouldn’t mind helping us figure out what Primary Talent for magic you have.”  
  
Kathy nodded, “Can we go home now? I don’t feel safe out here.”  
  
“Then let’s go home.”

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Aoi walked out of the shadows and set Jadeite’s death to play on repeat before stepping back to watch.  
  
“Aoi-chan, what are you doing?” Aoi turned to look at who had followed her.  
  
“Oh, Midori it’s you.” Aoi said, her dark eyes narrowing as she flipped some of her incredibly long blond hair over one shoulder. “What are you doing here?”  
  
Midori smiled widely as she wrapped her arms around the blue skinned Youma. “You’ve been acting kind of strange since you found the name of that kid who killed the Idiot. Why do you care?”  
  
Aoi sighed, turning to look back at the screen, “I really don’t know, Midori.” She said, “You know that I don’t remember anything from before Queen Beryl-sama and the rest of you took me in. The description of the boy, something about it is extremely familiar.” Aoi said with a thoughtful look on her face. Something told her that she should know that name! Not being able to remember why, or where she knew the name from, hurt quite a bit.  
  
“And you want to know why, Aoi-chan?” Aoi and Midori turned to look at the third voice.  
  
“Yes actually, Akai.” Aoi agreed, answering the red skinned Youma, even as she ignored the green skinned Youma hanging off of her.  
  
“Well, how’s this?” Murasakino’s voice said as the purple skinned Youma made her appearance. “We’ll leave the little boy to you to deal with.”  
  
“Aw… but I wanted to have fun with him~!” Usuveniro whined, pouting as the pink skinned Youma followed Murasakino into the room.  
  
“It’s not as if we can’t all play with him dear.” Midori said, “Just that Aoi here gets first crack at the kid.”  
  
Aoi rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to the video clip.  
  


* * *

****

  
Queen Beryl went red in the face as she listened to the report. “What do you mean Manis is dead?” She growled angrily. “ _How?!_ ”  
  
“A rather large cat did it.” The Youma replied hesitantly, in a tiny voice as they shrank away from their ruler.  
  
“A large _cat_?” Beryl questioned. “How large?”  
  
“Uh, it looked like it might be bigger than what the humans call a Maine Coon?” The Youma whimpered.  
  
“Show me.” Queen Beryl demanded.  
  
The Youma pulled out a folded up picture and handed it over.  
  
Queen Beryl unfolded the picture and took a moment to study it. There was something familiar about that cat… She just couldn’t put her finger on it. And it wasn’t just the faded Mark of the Moon on its forehead. Wasn’t there a species of cat that got that big and bigger? What was the name of that cat? How bothersome! This was going to bother her until she figured it out.  
  
That cat was going to have to go!  
  
There was a slight tug on her consciousness and Queen Beryl knew that meant Queen Metallia was calling for her. She’d best get the last of the Life Energy they had stockpiled and get going.

* * *

  
  
**Metallia’s Sanctuary**  
  
“Beryl…” It hissed aggressively when the red headed _Sword Wraith_ appeared before it.  
  
“You called for me Master?” the _Sword Wraith_ inquired.  
  
“Why haven’t you brought me the Ginzouishou?!” It demanded in a low growl. “I need the Ginzouishou!”  
  
The _Sword Wraith_ bowed low, holding out another Life Energy Canister. “I will get it for you Master.”  
  
The Entity howled as it took the canister and drained it. “You had best not keep me waiting!” It snarled, flinging the container back at Its minion.  
  
“Yes Master!” The _Sword Wraith_ ducked, barely dodging the projectile as it retreated.

* * *

  
  
**May 12, 2025; Shintokyo: SAO Survivor School**  
  
“Commander.”  
  
Kirito looked up from his homework. “What did you need, Lind?” He asked, opening his Mystic Tome in preparation to take notes. “And speak quickly please.”  
  
Lind’s eyes gleamed with pride for a moment. “When is the next trip?”  
  
“To the Moon you mean?” Kirito asked softly.  
  
“Yes.” Lind replied.  
  
Kirito sighed, “Sit down Lind.” He invited. “I’ve been working on a list of people to go, but when really depends on how Nephrite died. Rinko-nee has already been attacked once.”  
  
“I would be willing to lead the Expedition.” Lind said, carefully steering the conversation away from that landmine. Attacking Civilians was frowned upon. No matter who you were.  
  
“Would you be willing to stay for several days, should that be needed? Since we don’t know when we are going after the _Sword Wraith_ wearing Beryl’s face.” Kirito asked calmly.  
  
“If that is what is needed.” Lind replied.  
  
“Get me a list of people who want to go, and who would be able to control their enthusiasm to being on the Moon to get work done.” Kirito said, “And keep in mind that you will need to bring Boxy and either Rameses or one of our Fairies for Burial rights.”  
  
“Of course.” Lind replied, “I will approach Guardsman Næturvalla about including his younger brother or sister. So that he can be free to join you for the siege on the Dark Kingdom. I will also approach Boxy.”  
  
“How big of a team are you planning to take with you?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I was planning on asking Grimlock and his guild, since something came up which stopped them from going last time.” Lind replied. “Has Agil recovered from his fight with the _Sword Wraith_ yet?”  
  
Kirito went looking for Tilnel’s report. “He should be back on his feet in a few days, thankfully.” the young man replied once he’d found it. “Are you going to be at the Siege Meeting?”  
  
“I plan to be.” Lind replied as he got up. “I’ll see you at the meeting, Commander.”  
  
“I’ll see you later Lind.” Kirito agreed as he went back to his homework.

* * *

  
  
**May 17, 2025; Shintokyo: SAO School Gymnasium**  
  
Kirito watched as people trickled into the Gym of the school. So far, they had gotten extremely lucky that no one had died against any of the Fodder that they had been taking on for the Senshi. “We’ve been lucky so far.” He said quietly as he turned on his tablet.  
  
“Very lucky.” Heathcliff agreed from behind him. “I do not think we will get so lucky with the siege.”  
  
“...Yeah,” Kirito said, not daring to look at his older brother. “All I can do is tell them that they should treat this as one of the Boss Raids from SAO.”  
  
“Kirito-kun, none of their deaths are going to be on your shoulders.”  
  
He looked up, “I know that in my head, Asuna-hime.” Kirito replied, “But…”  
  
“It just shows how much you care about Our people.” Asuna reassured him gently.  
  
He gave her a painful smile in return. “I hope Kikuoka doesn’t interrupt the way he did when we were having the meeting for who should be a part of the first trip to the moon…” Kirito muttered almost to himself as he looked through the notes he’d made for the meeting.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito watched as his brother went to sit down before turning his attention to Asuna. He still didn’t want to go through with this. He might understand that this wasn’t any different to planning the Boss Raids for SAO, but there was a part of him that knew that they would not get any do-overs this time, there was no work around that would allow someone to survive, should they get kicked from the game.  
  
 _It really was for keeps this time._  
  
And that just made the lump in his throat that much harder to swallow. How he wished for the confidence boost that the scarf Asuna had made for him in the game would give him now!  
  
Why was he so close to panicking? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done this multiple times already!  
  
He coughed softly to grab everyone’s attention. “Yes, thank you for coming!” he called to the fifty people that had arrived for the meeting. “This may seem familiar, but this is no Raid. This is a Siege.”  
  
“Why the change?” Silica asked from her place in the front of the bleachers.  
  
“Because, this is not a simple Boss Raid.” Kirito replied. “This is an invasion.”  
  
“An Invasion?” several voices shouted and Kirito waited for a good minute for everyone to calm back down, only for them not to.  
  
Kirito growled lowly. “Enough!” He called, just loudly enough to make himself heard.  
  
The gym fell into a dead silence.  
  
“As I was saying…” Kirito glared at several people. “This is not just an invasion of hostile territory, there might be hostages that the Dark Kingdom is holding onto. Our goal is to get them all out in relatively good condition as well as kill off the Youma, put the corpse of Beryl-chan’s past back in her grave, and destroy the _thing_ that caused The Fall of the Silver Empire.”  
  
“In that case, you’ll need us.” Klein said seriously.  
  
Kirito nodded, “Your names are already on the list of those going.” He replied. “If you all have noticed, Lind and one guild are not here. While we are invading the Dark Kingdom, Lind and the Golden Apple, along with Boxy are heading back up to the moon.”  
  
“Klein and his guys are going after what hostages there may be?” Shivata asked.  
  
“Yes, as _The Immortal Guild_ they should have no problem getting what hostages there might be out alive.” Kirito replied. “Are you volunteering to go with them?”  
  
Shivata gave Kirito a grim smile. “Yes.”  
  
“In that case, get back to me with your Party Members and I’ll make the arrangements.” Kirito said. “I cannot guarantee that everyone who leaves will make it back in one piece or even at all.” He continued, “So if you feel that you cannot make that sacrifice, don’t be afraid to speak up. There is no shame in staying behind. There is no shame in being scared.”  
  
Kirito let his voice drop and waited for anyone to raise their hands or otherwise state that they didn’t think they could go.  
  
“Absolutely no one here will mock you for backing out.” He called, “If you freeze in the heat of this battle, it’s not just you at risk, you put everyone in the Raid at risk.”  
  
Kirito’s eyes met Sachi’s as the girl stood up. “I-I can’t.” She stuttered.  
  
“Then you are excused.” Kirito said, “If you want to, Lind is organizing the next trip to the Moon, you may join them if you wish too.”  
  
Sachi gave Kirito a nod as she left the gym.  
  
Kirito turned his attention back to the rest of the large group after the door closed behind her. “Anyone else?”  
  
No one moved.  
  
“Then this first Siege Meeting is concluded,” Kirito said, “Dismissed.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Lind unfurled the map they’d painstakingly made of the area of the moon that they had already explored. “This area here has already been explored.” He said to Griselda, pausing to look up when the door opened. “Sachi?”  
  
“I came from the Raid Meeting.” The teen mumbled, “I thought I could do it but…”  
  
“There is no shame in admitting that there are things you can’t do.” Lind told her.  
  
“You’re scared of dying?” Griselda asked.  
  
Sachi nodded. “Yes.”  
  
Lind sighed, “It’s fine.”  
  
Sachi took an interest in the map Lind had laid out. “What’s this?”  
  
“Planning for the next Moon Expedition.” Lind replied, “I was hoping that we’d be able to find the spaceport, and maybe a ship that still works.”  
  
“Shouldn’t we ask Asuna-sama where that is so that we aren’t wandering aimlessly?” Grimlock asked curiously.  
  
“I will, once the Raid meeting is finished.” Lind replied.  
  
“Um, working simply means a Piece of Junk that works, right?” Sachi asked.  
  
Lind couldn’t help his amused smirk. “Yes. As long as the ship can start and has an airlock our objective for this mission will have been accomplished.” He snorted, “Boxy is coming as well, just in case we come across any mummies.”  
  
“I hope we don’t run into any Hollows like Kirito and Asuna did.” Sachi shivered, “I’m not sure if the Bleach Hollows or Dark Souls Hollows are worse.”  
  
“That _was_ a nasty surprise to learn about, wasn’t it?” Rain asked from where she was leaning against one wall. “And that kid from Aincrad- Rameses right? He went out and took it on and won, though I heard that he was pretty banged up from it if word on Persephone having to help him walk after it was any indication.”  
  
Yolko and Caynz both nodded in agreement.  
  
“Why did it have to be Dark Souls?” Caynz asked.  
  
“Those games were hard.” Griselda agreed, “Fun, but hard.”  
  
“And very punishing if you didn’t know what you were doing.” Grimlock shook his head. “Crazy wife.”  
  
Griselda just gave him a playful grin. “You enjoy watching me, admit it.”  
  
Lind and the rest of the room rolled their eyes. “If we could get back on topic?”  
  
“Sorry Lind.” Griselda said with a blush.  
  
“Well, if we run into one, what’s the plan?” Rain asked. “I know that we don’t want that to happen, but we have to consider that if there was one, there might be others.”  
  
Lind grimaced, “That is a very unpleasant thought,” he noted, carefully thinking on what their options were. “Well, if we can avoid fighting it, we should. If not, then I think we should keep to the simplest of Sword Skills to start with and break contact if possible. Also, we should always travel in groups of at least two, three if possible.”  
  
“It’s not like we have quickly refreshing stamina, unlike what Dark Souls gave players,” Griselda agreed. “Best to use what doesn’t tire us out completely.”  
  
“We’ll need potions, and a Healing Crystal each.” Sachi said, “I’d say Teleport Crystals too, but I’m not sure if Persephone brought any back with her from Aincrad.”  
  
Lind nodded in agreement. “That is something we will have to ask her about before everyone leaves for the siege of the Dark Kingdom,” he agreed.  
  
“Where are we going to set up camp?” Caynz asked. “Is it going to be where the Air Purifier is or somewhere else?”  
  
“We should set up in the area that has already been explored.” Lind replied, “That way we can’t get lost as easily, though perhaps asking Asuna-sama to place another Purifier would be a good idea.”  
  
“Should we ask her to put an Air Purifier in the Spaceport, before they leave, and before we leave?” Schmitt said from his own corner.  
  
The rest of the people in the meeting nodded.

* * *

  
  
**May 24, 2025: Shintokyo**  
  
Asuna eyed Lind. “You are sure about going this afternoon?”  
  
“Yes.” Lind replied, “That would give us more than twenty-four hours to find the ship we need, and since we are going over the weekend, that give you a chance to do some scouting.”  
  
That is true…” Asuna agreed thoughtfully. “Take Silica, Pina can use her breath to heal others when she is asked.” She finally decided, “We are going to need Persephone on hand, depending on how badly off any prisoners we find are. It’s better to have our best Healer on hand to take care of it.”  
  
“What about Tilnel?” Lind inquired. “Could we not take her?”  
  
Asuna grimaced, “You _could_ I suppose… but she’s not really a field medic.”  
  
Lind nodded in understanding.  
  
Asuna turned, “Persephone, would you like to take them or should I?” She asked when the older girl replied.  
  
“I’ll do it.” Persephone replied.  
  
Asuna nodded, “Alright then.” She turned back to Lind. “Is your group ready to go?”  
  
Lind looked to the Golden Apple and Griselda gave him a nod, followed by one from Boxy, Silica, Rameses and Kebechet. “We are ready.”  
  
“Then form a tight circle and we’ll be off.” Persephone replied, stepping forward.

* * *

  
  
**Lunar Spaceport**  
  
Persephone turned to Lind. “Alright, we are here. When you are finished, or have completed your objective, Message me.”  
  
“Will do Persephone.” Lind agreed.  
  
And then Persephone was gone.  
  
Lind turned to the rest of the people. “Let’s get to work.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Sachi whistled in appreciation at the sight of the huge building. “Even ruined as it is, the Spaceport is awe inspiring.”  
  
“It is indeed.” Lind agreed quietly. “But we don’t have the time to admire everything. And we need to be careful of any Hollows or whatever else might be up here.”  
  
The rest of the team nodded.  
  
With some effort, Silica and Sachi were able to get the door open.  
  
“Sense anything Grim?” Griselda asked.  
  
“No.” Grimlock shook his head.  
  
“How about you Rain?” Griselda asked, turning to the teen.  
  
Rain shook her head. “Nothing so far.” She reported. “It seems to be safe so far.”  
  
“Last time, we had this feeling of being watched before my cousin made himself known,” Rameses noted.  
  
Lind turned to him, “If we end up meeting any more of your relatives, let alone anyone else… we can’t afford to let you handle it on your own. You are going to have to let us help you.”  
  
Rameses nodded, “I understand.” He reluctantly agreed. “Let’s hope we don’t then.”

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo**  
  
Kirito turned to Asuna once Lind and his group disappeared. “We’ll be leaving when Persephone returns?”  
  
“Yes.” Asuna said shortly. “Let’s check our equipment. She’ll be back soon.”  
  
Kirito looked to Klein and gave him a nod. They both opened their Mystic Tomes and went through their equipment.  
  
“I have everything.” Kirito said a few moments later.  
  
Each member of the Raid sounded off after that, that they too were ready.  
  
Kirito pulled Thalia off his head. “Rinko-nee, can you take care of Thalia while we are gone?”  
  
Rinko took the kitten. “Certainly.” She said as Ēkate pressed against Kirito’s hip.  
  
“Who’s a good ‘cat?” Kirito asked playfully. “You are! Thank you so much for taking care of Rinko-nee for me!”  
  
Ēkate purred, meowing demandingly.  
  
“Alright, alright, you can come.” Kirito agreed, scratching behind Ēkate’s ears.  
  
At that moment, Persephone reappeared.  
  
“If everyone is ready?” Asuna asked, turning to Luna. “Do you have the coordinates for where we are going?”  
  
“Yes Asuna.” Luna smirked.  
  
Asuna gave the Mau a nod. “Then we should get going.”

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Queen Beryl was back in Jadeite’s room, continuing with refiling everything when a sudden earthquake rocked the place. “What was that?” She wondered, leaving the room once the shaking had stopped.  
  
There was pandemonium outside, with Youma running every which way. What in the world was going on here? Queen Beryl grabbed on of the Youma who were running. “What is going on?” Queen Beryl growled demandingly.  
  
Grape gulped. “The Prison has been broken into.” She said.  
  
Queen Beryl growled under her breath. Who would be foolish enough to go down there? They still had one or two survivors down there to feed the Youma, but as far as she was aware, no one outside the Dark Kingdom knew about them. Except for one, the one who escaped a decade ago.  
  
 _He shouldn’t have survived this long,_ she thought. _The world is much too different from what he knew._ _But…_  
  
The footage of the battle with Zoicite and his death said that it was very probable that the escapee was still alive. What could she do about him then?  
  
...What if he’d made contact with that Moon Bitch? That would be disastrous.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito stopped when Ēkate bit into his pant leg and started pulling him in a direction other than the one that Solbjoem was leading them in. “Ēkate, what are you doing?” he hissed.  
  
“Kirito-kun, don’t fall behind.” Heathcliff called quietly.  
  
Kirito looked up and gave the man a nod. “Ēkate, _Heel!_ ”  
  
His Sabercat hissed angrily but obeyed his command. He had to remember that Ēkate was not very far into Feline Guard training and thus still had to be prompted more often than not to ignore anything that was a distraction from what the current task was. Not only that, but his Sabercat was more Cat than Saber, due to how many generations there must be between Ēkate and the last purebred Sabercat of his line.  
  
They could investigate _after_ all the hostages were secure. No matter what it was that had caught Ēkate’s attention, it could not be more important than their objective.  
  
“Ēkate has sensed something.” Kirito said to Heathcliff as he caught up with the man.  
  
“He has? It could just be the hostages.” Heathcliff said.  
  
Kirito shook his head, “I don’t think so. I must be gaining points in _Familiar Communication,_ because I’m pretty sure I heard Ēkate say something about our _Dame_.” He shook his head. “But that can’t be right, Mother has been dead for thirteen years now.”


	32. Spaceport Hostages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If the first trip to the moon was bad... this one is worse.

**May 24, 2025: Dark Kingdom**  
  
Solbjoem came to a stop. “We’re here.” He said shortly. It had been ten years, but Goddesses, he hated this place the first time, and the subsequent ten years had done little to improve his opinion of it. And he was willingly coming back here!  
  
Granted, it was with plenty of backup, and they were on a mission: Rescue any surviving prisoners. How many there were, especially after ten years, he didn’t know, but if there was even one left alive, he was going to make sure that he or she was freed from this slice of Hel.  
  
“Kirito-kun, you’re the one with the best _Perception_ Skill.” Heathcliff said, and Solbjoem turned to watched as the boy, _young man’s_ eyes narrowed.  
  
Kirito’s eyes glowed faintly as he checked the door in front of them for traps. “I don’t see any alarms, but that in itself could be a trap…” He reported quietly.  
  
“Youma are hardly ever that smart, though there are outliers, like Yomi-san and the Seven.” Heathcliff mused.  
  
“Could it be set so that certain people are keyed in?” Asuna asked from behind the Captain.  
  
“That could actually be something, Klein, Dynamm, Eugene, Agil? Do one of you want to try opening the door?”  
  
“Perhaps I should then.” Klein said, stepping forward and putting a hand on the door.  
  
A light went from red to green. [Welcome Kunzite.] A quiet voice said, the door opening.  
  
Klein took a step back with a smirk. “Shall my guys and I go first?” He asked.  
  
Kirito gave him a wave. “Who here has _Completed_ their _Listening_ Skill?”  
  
Aaaa stepped forward. “I have.” He volunteered.  
  
“Then you are to stay out here. Keep an ear out for anyone who might be coming.” Kirito ordered.  
  
“Yes sir.” The fifteen year old said with a grim smile.

* * *

  
  
**Lunar Spaceport**  
  
They’d found three ships so far, but not a single one fit the criteria Lind had set out.  
  
“I’ve seen several pieces of trash…” Sashi said carelessly, being careful with her words. “But no Piece of Junk yet.”  
  
“I think I sound something!” Yolko called from another gate.  
  
Sachi and Lind dashed towards Yolko’s voice. Both came to a screeching halt when they reached the gate Yolko had been investigating.  
  
“I can’t be seeing this, can I?” Sachi asked after a moment of stunned silence.  
  
Lind couldn’t help his reaction. “What a Piece of Junk!”  
  
Yolko grinned from the ramp. “I know, right? Who would have guessed that we’d find exactly what we were looking for?” She looked up at the ship. “Let’s hope she’s got it where it counts, right?”  
  
The ship was perhaps, three times the size of the ship they were familiar with if not larger, but it certainly _looked_ like Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon.  
  
“I suppose the name of the ship is a foregone conclusion.” Lind said more than asked.  
  
“That depends on if we can get the ship started.” Caynz said as he walked down the ramp.  
  
“Everything seems to be fairly clean inside, minus the expected dust.” Griselda said from where she was sitting on top of the ship. “However, I think that we should have Persephone find a pilot to fly her.”  
  
Lind nodded at the suggestion. “We should.” He opened his Mystic Tome and made a note in his PM window.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
“So far, every pod we’ve checked has been empty.” Asuna said sadly as she walked down the rows.  
  
“We have to hold out hope that we’ll find someone.” Kirito whispered into an ear. “Can you sense anything?”  
  
Asuna turned to look at her Consort over one shoulder for a moment. Then she closed her eyes and cast her senses outward, trying to find the faint signatures of any who might be sleeping. “I sense three.”  
  
“And here I’d been…” Kirito trailed off. “Three is good.” He said shortly. “Where are they, _Princess_?” Oops, he’d almost jinxed the entire operation on accident!  
  
“In one of the corners.” Asuna replied, opening her eyes and looking to him.  
  
“Then, lead us to them, if you can.” Kirito replied.  
  
Asuna hummed in agreement. “This way.”  
  


* * *

****

  
“Heathcliff, I need you here.” Heathcliff turned and rushed in the direction of Asuna’s voice.  
  
“What is it, Asuna-kun?” He asked when he reached her side.  
  
Asuna looked up at from the pod, “We found them…” She whispered, her hands shaking where they were resting on the glass.  
  
Through the glass, Heathcliff could see a familiar young woman with long pointed ears and hair a single shade away from Asuna’s.  
  
“Is this who I think it is?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Who do you think it is?” Heathcliff asked gently.  
  
“Titania, the Royal Cook.” Asuna answered. “Is she?”  
  
“She is.” Heathcliff replied, watching as Kirito was somehow able to operate the Pod’s controls. “Kirito-kun, how are you doing that?”  
  
“I’m not sure.” Kirito replied. “And I’m not sure I’m understanding what I’m seeing in these readouts.”  
  
Persephone appeared, “Need help, Commander?”  
  
“Yes, actually.” Kirito said. “What exactly does this mean?”  
  
Persephone went over what he’d been reading slowly. “Where are the other two?”  
  
“In the very corner, three rows away.” Asuna said.  
  
Persephone frowned for a moment. “Well, they can’t be woken all at once.” She reported at last. “Titania’s vitals are weak, so I’ll have to heal most of what I’m seeing in order to allow us to move her, let alone for her to move on her own. And if the other two are in similar condition well, I’m not sure I’ll be of much help once I’m finished with them all.”  
  
“And we don’t have Healing Crystals to spare.” Kirito frowned, “Not that they’d be of much use, given what we now know of how they work.”  
  
Persephone nodded. “It’s your call, Commander, who do we wake first?”  
  
Kirito turned to Heathcliff, who was looking rather stone faced. “Titania first.” He said after a moment, “But you are going to have to work fast.”  
  
Persephone nodded. “Then let’s get to work.”  
  
Kirito nodded, hitting several keys, which opened the pod. Then he got out of Persephone’s way. “Good luck, Persephone.”  
  
Persephone nodded, her hands glowing as she concentrating on healing the Fairy.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Alright, who’s this?” Kirito asked, peering into the Pod and seeing a young looking man, who had pointed ears like Titania’s, long blond hair and was wearing a green uniform with some badges attached.  
  
Asuna studied his face for a good minute to make sure she was correct in her assumption before actually saying anything. “This is Oberon.” She finally said. “Heathcliff was the Captain of the Royal Guard, but Oberon was in charge of the Security for the whole city.”  
  
“They were good friends, another contemporary from when they were training in Aincrad.” Heathcliff confirmed. “He and Titania got married in Aincrad, much the way that the two of you did in the Simulation.”  
  
“And that is in no way _official_ , Heathcliff.” Kirito reminded him. “So, I take it you were good friends?”  
  
“Yes.” Heathcliff frowned, “I think we should keep them asleep until we can get them into Tilnel’s care. They will recognize her.”  
  
Kirito and Asuna both nodded.  
  
Kirito very carefully navigated the information on the display in front of him. “I’d say he’s in similar condition to Titania-san.” He said, seeing much the same information that he had seen in what he’d been able to access of Titania’s Pod.  
  
“Then we need to wait for Persephone to finish.” Asuna said.  
  
“Unless you would rather give healing a try?” Kirito asked, looking at her over the holographic display.  
  
“My skill in Healing Magic is still in the two hundreds, Kirito-kun.” Asuna retorted, “And Light Magic is more useful for purifying things, not _healing_ per se.”  
  
“Just thought I’d ask.” Kirito replied with a shrug. “It just looks to me like the Dark Kingdom is keeping them barely alive.”  
  
“Bastards, the lot of them.” Asuna said through gritted teeth.  
  
“Indeed.” Solbjoem agreed from behind Kirito. “If only we had another dedicated Healer…”  
  
“Well, we only have one Persephone as a Battle Medic.” Kirito replied, not looking up. “Tilnel works her best in an Infirmary.”  
  
“Pity.” The Spriggan agreed gravely.  
  
“Asuna, who’s the last person?” Kirito asked, closing the Display.  
  
“This one here.” Asuna said, gesturing to the Pod she was standing next to. “It’s… Epheme, Hephaestus’ daughter and apprentice.”  
  
“Damn.” Kirito breathed, “She’s not going to take her father’s death well then.”  
  
“My thoughts exactly.” Asuna agreed grimly. “Of course, Oberon and Titania aren’t going to take it any better.”  
  
“At least they will have each other to lean on.” Kirito retorted, “Poor Epheme doesn’t have anyone. She won’t recognize you or Heathcliff.”  
  
“That is an unfortunate truth.” Asuna agreed as Persephone made her way over.  
  
“Titania can now be moved.” The Guardian of Saturn reported. “I put her into a medical coma so that we don’t have to worry about her running into a wall.”  
  
“Tired at all?” Kirito asked as his hand hovered over the controls of Oberon’s Pod.  
  
“Maybe just slightly winded.” Persephone said. “Why?”  
  
“Will you be able to help Oberon and Epheme?” Asuna asked instead.  
  
“If I do what I did with Titania… then yes, I think so.” Persephone replied. “I just wish we had some Mana Regeneration Potions.”  
  
“That would help greatly, wouldn’t it?” Kirito sighed. “Up to you, Asuna, who first?”  
  
“Oberon.” Asuna replied.

* * *

  
  
**Minato: Minako’s Apartment**  
  
Minako stopped brushing her hair as a thought struck her. “Artemis,” She called.  
  
“What is it?” the white Mau asked, looking up from the pillow he was lounging on.  
  
“Um,” Minako stared down at her hair brush for a moment, as if she wasn’t seeing it. “That place you took me to in that dream, where is that?”  
  
“You mean Magellan Castle?” Artemis asked blinking.  
  
“Yeah, that.” Minako agreed.  
  
Artemis smacked his face with a forepaw. “I can’t believe I forgot about Magellan Castle. I’ve been meaning to take you there for a while but…”  
  
“Things _just kept happening_.” Minako agreed, “We’ve not had any time to breathe, much less hear ourselves _think_.” She started brushing her hair again. “Aincrad doesn’t have any spare parts right? Well, Magellan Castle might have the supplies they need.”  
  
“The only problem is that you don’t remember _where_ Castle Aincrad is.” Artemis pointed out.  
  
“But we do know someone who does, and can get there safely.” Minako pointed out. “I’ve been brushing up on Lunarian since Asuna-sama benched me, so, I might need a bit of help, but I’m sure I’ll be able to make myself understood… And I _really_ doubt that I’ll make the same mistake that Mako-chan made in middle school…”  
  
Goddesses, thinking about that incident _still_ made her laugh. _How had Mako-chan mistaken ‘Thank you’ for ‘Hello’ in the first place?_  
  
She was _Aino Minako_ , worldly even back then! She knew and was nearly fluent in several languages! _English wasn’t even that hard!_ French and Italian had been harder. Lunarian was proving to be rather easy.  
  
Magellan Castle, she’d have to see what kind of repair the place was in. _Here’s hoping it won’t be_ too _bad…_ Minako thought. But she knew that their side had been exceptionally lucky so far, Kirito had killed Jadeite, even with the disadvantage. Agil had killed Nephrite, though the after action review made her wonder if Nephrite had chosen to die on his terms, rather than be killed. That kid Rameses had killed Zoicite due to a nice power boost allowing him to fight on a far more even footing with the weakest of Beryl’s generals. At least something positive for him came out of him nearly killing himself fighting that thing long enough for Persephone to Awaken and kill the thing. Luck be damned, she watched the footage. The kid was _good_ , even if he wasn’t on the level of the better SAO returnees, let alone Kirito. So far, they’d had the _best_ of luck…  
  
But who knew how long that would last?  
  
Fingers crossed that the place would be in perfect condition, but she’d take the Castle being in the same condition as the Capitol, because of what Kirito’s people had managed to salvage from the place.  
  
Perhaps she should take Lux with her?

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Persephone wiped some sweat away from her face as she worked to heal Epheme. “So, how are we going to move them?” She heard Kirito ask Asuna quietly.  
  
“We’ll have to have some of the Tanks carry them.” Asuna said in the same quiet voice, “We don’t have any stretchers, and it will be easier this way.”  
  
“I’m finished.” Persephone said with a sigh as she pulled away from the little Leprechaun girl.  
  
“I’ll take Epheme.” Solbjoem said as he reached into the Pod and pulled the girl out, settling her carefully on his back.  
  
“Dale, can you get Titania-san?” Klein asked.  
  
“Sure thing Boss!” Dale called back.  
  
“Who is going to take Oberon then?” Kirito asked.  
  
“I will,” Said Godfree quietly.  
  
Asuna gave him a nod. “Go ahead.” She replied.  
  
Kirito stared down at Ēkate, who was quite agitated. “Heathcliff, do we have time to investigate what Ēkate has sensed?”  
  
Heathcliff rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “As long as it doesn’t take very long.” The man said, “This was supposed to be a simple in-and-out operation.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “I understand.” He knelt, making eye contact with his cat. And then they were gone.  
  


* * *

****

  
Ēkate silently led Playful Kitten through the halls, going from shadow to shadow on silent paws. There was a scent in the air that he hadn’t tasted in a decade. The scent was warped, but he knew, without a doubt who the scent belonged to.  
  
Playful Kitten and Source of Food’s Dam was here, in a place where she didn’t belong! He understood that they didn’t have much time, but he needed to make sure that either Source of Food or Playful Kitten knew that their Dam was here and needed help.  
  
His ears twitched and he slowed down, stalking forward slowly.  
  
Ēkate could hear Playful Kitten not far behind him catching up as he settled into a position that he could watch the five human shaped monsters.  
  
“Ēkate, what are you doing?” Playful Kitten hissed questioningly.  
  
Ēkate turned his head to look up at the half grown human and then looked back at the five monsters, one of which was the source of the tainted scent. [Reach out with your senses, Kitten.]  
  
Playful Kitten took a moment before following Ēkate’s gaze. “Youma? What’s so special about Youma?” He wondered before doing as instructed.  
  
Playful Kitten’s eyes widened in shock.  
  
[Let’s go back, you can tell Source of Food and have your meltdown later]. Ēkate said, nudging at Playful Kitten’s ankles to get the teen to turn around.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito had to duck when a blast of magic impacted the wall behind him. He turned to look back, and saw that it was Beryl. He could hear Ēkate hissing at his feet. “Heh, looks like we’ve been caught.” He said quietly to his cat. “Not that it matters, we’ve already obtained our objective.”  
  
His cat meowed quietly in agreement.  
  
“However, I think it’s time to retreat.” Kirito said as he started moving away from Queen Beryl.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito ducked again as the magic exploded behind him again as he rounded the corner, seeing Heathcliff he smirked. “Boring conversation anyway!” He growled, “Hey Heathcliff, we’ve got company!”  
  
Heathcliff turned when Kirito rushed passed him and saw Beryl. “Yes, I’d say it’s time to go.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Aaaa looked up, not moving when he saw Commander Kirito dashing past. “Sir?” He called.  
  
“It’s time to leave.” Commander Kirito called back.  
  
That kicked Aaaa into gear. He reached for his Arming Sword and pulled it out as he followed his leader. His shield already of his arm, at the ready.  
  
He was already planning to bring up the rear. He was nothing if not loyal to his leaders.  
  
Lolicon he may be… but he knew not to do more than look. He was a gentleman, just like the Commander was.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna started moving as soon as she saw her Consort was already running. “Kirito-kun, what happened?” She asked.  
  
“Something set the Zombie of Queen Beryl off.” Kirito replied, not looking at her. “She ran across me while I was investigating what Ēkate sensed.”  
  
“What did you find?” Asuna asked as they rushed towards the portal they’d come through.  
  
“Later!” Kirito barked back.  
  


* * *

****

  
Queen Beryl snarled as she pursued her Prey. That boy would not get away with anything that was happening. She sent blast after blast of uncontrolled magic at the boy who had killed Jadeite. He seemed to be good at dodging, but that didn’t matter, she’d catch him.  
  
She was not about to let him, _or anyone who had come with him,_ for that matter, get away with their lives. Especially since their luck had steadily been going decidedly downhill since the boy had appeared.  
  
Queen Beryl was so angry at the sight of him that she had forgone spells all together.  
  
And every single human she saw just made her angrier. And she was going to kill them all.  
  


* * *

****

  
Dale, Godfree, and Solbjoem were just a few steps behind Kirito and Asuna as they rounded the last corner between them and the portal that led back to the Dicey Cafe and safety.  
  
There were several Youma between them and the Portal.  
  
“Oh, this is bad!” Asuna shouted.  
  
“No it’s not!” Kirito shot back as he pulled his Anneal Blade from its sheath and darted forward even faster. He tore through several Youma one after the other.  
  
Asuna was quick to follow him, clearing a path for the three carrying the hostages they’d retrieved.  
  
The speed at which the two managed it, left the Guardsman gaping at them. He’d never seen anyone clear a path so fast, especially when they weren’t completely trained.  
  
“I’d say it’s time we left.” Dale said, heading for the portal.  
  
“Right behind you, Dale.” Godfree said, jolting Solbjoem out on his stupor.  
  
“Once you are out, don’t come back.” Kirito ordered.  
  
Dale and Godfree didn’t say anything as they followed Kirito’s order.  
  
Solbjoem hesitated for a moment; it looked like he might say something before deciding not to. He followed the two humans out of the Dark Kingdom.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito and Asuna were the last to exit the portal, carrying one of their own between them. Aaaa was in bad shape.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe: Infirmary**  
  
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone in such bad condition.” Tilnel said quietly as she read the readouts from her scans of Oberon, Titania, and Epheme. “You did heal them, right Persephone?”  
  
“Only enough for it to be safe to move them.” Persephone responded. “Otherwise, I wasn’t going to be of any help whatsoever for the rest of the Raid.”  
  
“Well then, I have quite a bit of work ahead of me, don’t I?” Tilnel grumbled, turning to the Reborn Guardian of Saturn, “Perhaps you should go check on Lind and his team.”  
  
“That’s an excellent idea.” Persephone agreed.

* * *

  
  
**Lunar Spaceport**  
  
Rameses looked carefully at what was approaching and ducked back behind the wall. “Okay, we have three Hollows,” he said. “Thankfully, they’re not armored, but they’re holding tools and such, so I won’t say they’re unarmed.”  
  
“Any idea why they’re here?” Silica asked.  
  
Rameses shrugged. “No, but from the tools that they are carrying…” He took another glance at the approaching Hollows, “It’s probably safe to say that they used to work here.”  
  
Hollows were such a pain to deal with. But if anyone were to ask him, he’d rather deal with Hollows than Sword Wraiths. It really was no contest between the two, he’d dealt with both. He knew which he preferred dealing with, thank you very much. He’d gladly face Hollows any day of the week.  
  
“How do we deal with them?” Silica asked quietly. “Are they going to target our ship?”  
  
Rameses shook his head, "I really don't know, Silica." He replied, with a shake of his head. He hoped not.  
  
“How do we deal with Hollows?” Silica asked curiously.  
  
“They are faster than they appear.” Rameses began to explain. “They are Undead that have lost their purpose, and have gone mad because of it.” He paused, “I don’t know how strong these ones are, but it’s best to assume that they are more powerful than they seem.”  
  
“Can they be easily confused?” Silica asked.  
  
“What do you mean by that?” He asked, turning to the girl.  
  
“Will multiple opponents confuse them?” Silica asked. “In the Simulated Aincrad, it was always safer to be in a group of at least two.”  
  
“You mean confuse them with numbers?” Rameses asked, to which Silica nodded. “I… don’t really see why that wouldn’t work…” He hedged, chewing on the inside of his lip as he thought about it. “If we are going to try that, we need the rest here to help; otherwise it’s two on two, which isn’t any better than one on one.”  
  
Silica nodded in understanding as she opened her Mystic Tome and sent a message to Lind.  
  


* * *

****

  
Persephone looked around carefully as she appeared near the spaceport. She was tired enough that she’d have to take two trips to return everyone up here to Earth, but she really didn’t mind all that much. She hoped they’d found a ship that would work.  
  
The sound of steel clashing caught her attention and she hurried in the direction of the sound.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Pina, can you heal Lind?” Silica asked as she rotated in, blocking one of the two Hollows’ tools as Lind pulled back.  
  
Pina chirped and blew healing bubbles on the man, which caused him to relax.  
  
“I tell you, Dark Souls makes it seem like dealing with Hollows is easier than it actually is.” Griselda said as a tool hit her shield perhaps a little too hard. “These guys are as bad as those knights in Anor Londo!”  
  
“Tell us something we didn’t know!” Yolko shot back as she darted out from behind Cayns and attacked the Hollow that had just attacked her Guildmaster before dodging the counterattack and darting back to Cayns.  
  
“Well, I’m getting tired of dealing with these things!” Rameses snarked.  
  
“Switch!” Called a very welcome, very familiar voice.  
  
“Persephone!” Silica called as she pulled Rameses out of the way.  
  
“Silence Wall!” The Guardian of Saturn called, erecting a transparent wall for them all to retreat behind. “Stay here.” Persephone ordered as she stepped out from behind safety and twirling the Silence Glaive.  
  
Concentrating on using as little power as possible, because she really didn’t want to deal any more damage to the Spaceport than she absolutely had to, Persephone took careful aim. “Silence Glaive Surprise!” She brought her Glaive down, and took care of both Hollows at once.  
  
She was about to turn away when two glowing figures spoke to her in Lunarian. “Thank you Guardian.”  
  
Persephone’s eyes widened. “Goddesses speed you on your way.” She replied automatically as the two figures disappeared.  
  
Once the danger was gone, Persephone dismissed her armor and wiped the sweat from her brow.  
  
“Are you ok, Persephone?” Silica asked.  
  
“I will be after a bit of rest.” Persephone replied as she gave Silica a fond smile. “Did you manage to complete your objective, Lind?” She asked, turning to the man as Pina flew over.  
  
Lind nodded. “Yes, we found exactly what we were looking for. Shall we show you?”  
  
“That would be great Lind.” Persephone said as Pina covered her with a dose of her healing breath. “Thank you Pina.”  
  
Pina chirped happily as she landed lightly on Silica’s head.


	33. Piles of Junk and Waking Fairies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lind has a Nerdgasm and it's time to wake the prisoners.

**Lunar Spaceport**  
  
Persephone had to cover her mouth for a moment when she saw the ship. “And this…” She snickered, “ _Piece of Junk_ , is in good enough condition to hold atmosphere?” She asked.  
  
Griselda nodded, “As far as we can tell there are no leaks.” She reported with a grin.  
  
“Please tell me that you have pictures archived?” Persephone turned her eyes to Lind.  
  
He gave her an ‘Are you serious?’ look. “Of course we do.” he said with a mock snobby tone. “Nobody would believe this if we don’t have pictures.”  
  
Persephone pulled out her phone. “Well, you can never have too much proof so…” She grinned as she started snapping pictures.  
  
Lind chuckled in agreement. “When we all said that a ‘Piece of Junk’ would work as long as it could hold atmosphere…” He smiled. “I wasn’t aware that we were being literal.”  
  
“Neither was I.” Persephone agreed as she put her phone away, “The Captain and Commander are both going to find this rather amusing. And it’s a dream come true for a lot of us, seeing as we all enjoy the Original Trilogy, and Legends.”  
  
“I wonder if George Lucas is a Reincarnation.” Lind mused for a moment before shaking his head. “We’ll need to find a pilot.”  
  
“I’ll check to see if there are any that got stranded on Aincrad.” Persephone agreed, “As it is almost guaranteed that they ended up cannibalizing the ships they had for spare parts when things started breaking.”  
  
Lind winced, “Yeah, that would have happened…” he acknowledged slowly. “Can you take us home now? I don’t want to deal with any more Hollows showing up.”  
  
“Let me get a few screenshots of the inside and we can leave.” Persephone concurred as she made her way up the landing ramp.

* * *

  
  
**Tokyo; Downtown Setagaya: Solar Army HQ Infirmary**  
  
Silently, Kirito looked out on Tilnel’s full Infirmary. His record from SAO, of bringing everyone home alive, was still intact. Barely. A few of them, the ones who had evacuated last, were in critical condition.  
  
Meaning that some of them might not be alive for much longer. Some record, bringing everyone back alive, only to lose some of them afterwards. At the same time, they were brought home, meaning that it was better than if they died and had to be left behind for everyone else to escape.  
  
That would have left an even worse taste in his mouth.  
  
“Are you alright?” he heard Asuna ask from behind and he made an effort to swallow the bile in his throat.  
  
“I will be, I think.” He answered weakly. “I managed to get everyone home… _this time_. But I know that it’s only a matter of time until, until I can’t.”  
  
He felt his fiancée wrap her arms around his shoulders. “Hopefully, that won’t happen for a while.” She whispered into his ear. “Persephone should be back soon, so, let’s distract you until then. I’m sure that Thalia and Ēkate wouldn’t mind if you spent some time cuddling with them.”  
  
He chuckled wetly as he allowed her to lead him out of Tilnel’s domain. “Alright, Hime.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Tilnel watched for a moment while Kirito was led away by Asuna. She’d done what she could to make the few that were beyond even her skills comfortable.  
  
They were all so very brave, but they had also squared off against the strongest of the _Sword Wraiths_ that were on Earth. Not to mention the only one left. Why could Queen Beryl and her Generals have not have simply been Zombies instead? That would certainly have made dealing with them all much easier. But such was their luck it seemed.  
  
It might not have ever been said, but it had also not been certain whether or not everyone would make it back in one piece, _or even alive_. In that regard, Kirito had pulled off a miracle. Any who _did_ die were surrounded by loved ones, knowing that they had done their best. None of them would pass on in pain.  
  
It was the best she could do. Especially since Persephone was checking on Lind. Persephone couldn’t help those in bad shape without depleting her own reserves. And no one wanted Persephone to put herself into that condition, even if she would do so in a heartbeat if it meant saving lives. Her current incarnation and her previous one were far too alike in that regard.  
  
Tilnel turned her attention to the three Fairies that they’d been able to retrieve. She remembered Titania and Oberon.  
  
Titania had been in charge of the kitchens, so all of Asuna’s experimenting would help there. But she was also a fairly well trained medic on top of that, who had had several students under her belt by the time Tilnel and Kizmel had arrived at the Lunar Palace.  
  
If nothing else, Titania would be able to help Persephone catch up so that she wasn’t just healing on instinct anymore. And if they were to completely heal the Konno twins, then they needed Titania, just not in her occupation. She could always work at the Cafe Upstairs when she wasn’t doing other things.  
  
Oberon, Oberon could have chosen to be the Captain-General of the Royal Guard Cadets had he wanted to. But he’d chosen to become the Head of Security for the Capital instead. Mostly so that he could be close to his wife. And that wasn’t at all surprising. Fairies were known to be extremely loyal to their spouses.  
  
He and Heathcliff had gone through the same training, and unlike Solbjoem, who was ten years out of practice, Oberon was more likely to know where the training needed to be picked up. Even if most of the training would now happen online.  
  
Tilnel had a feeling that Oberon was going to like Kirito, once he got done reminding Heathcliff what a stupid idea putting family in charge _usually_ was. He was sure to like Asuna too.  
  
With the Reborn Princess’ personality, it was hard not to like the girl.  
  
Epheme on the other hand… she was not going to take the knowledge that her father is dead very well. Asuna didn’t look like Serenity and Akihiko didn’t look like Heathcliff, either. Which was going to make calming her down even harder. She and Serenity had been close, in spite of the difference of their ages.  
  
Thank the Goddesses that Oberon and Titania had both survived. If it had been only one of them… Well, the other would likely have to have been put on Suicide Watch. And Tilnel wasn’t sure how long that would have lasted. Better that they were both here, and alive.  
  
Perhaps she should call Kizmel and wake Epheme first…  
  
Hopefully, the two of them would be able to calm her down enough to explain what had happened, and then maybe hand the little Leprechaun girl off to someone who had more experience with young children, like perhaps Heathcliff, or maybe Solbjoem… No, not the Guardsman, he had a Youma for a wife.  
  
And while everyone knew that Yomi would never do anything, Epheme’s last memories of that era were of the Youma’s own kind attacking the palace. Best to avoid them meeting for now.  
  
Slowly, Tilnel opened her Mystic Tome, time to contact her sister. Hopefully, waking Epheme wouldn’t take too long. Though, calming the Leprechaun Nymph would probably take the longest.  
  
 _TO: Kizmel  
FM: Tilnel_  
  
 _SUBJECT: Waking the Hostages_  
  
 _Kizmel,_  
  
 _I am about to wake one of our three Rescuees. Would you like to help me?_  
  
 _Tilnel_  
  
There, now she just had to wait for her sister to either come to her, or to reply.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Was there a reason that you wanted to have me here to wake someone up?” Kizmel asked ten minutes later.  
  
“I’m waking a child.” Tilnel replied flatly, giving the older Elf a look. “You and I are the only ones she is going to recognise. Asuna looks too different and Kayaba’s features are sufficiently different that Epheme will know right away that he’s not Heathcliff.”  
  
“Good point.” Kizmel conceded. “Alright, wake her up then.”  
  
Tilnel placed a glowing fingertip to the little Leprechaun’s forehead. A moment later, the little girl’s eyes flew open and she tried to sit up. “ _Papa!_ ” she called in Lunarian, looking around in a panic.  
  
“Epheme?” Kizmel asked gently, placing her hands on the child’s shoulders.  
  
Epheme blinked up at her. “Miss Kizmel?” she asked in confusion, calming down just slightly. “If you are here, then where is Big Sister Serenity?”  
  
Kizmel and Tilnel traded a glance. “What do you want to tell her first?” Kizmel asked quietly in Japanese so that Epheme would not panic too much.  
  
“Her father first, I think.” Tilnel said. “Best to get that over with now before we mention what happened and what is going on.” Giving Ephemme too many shocks at once would be a very bad idea.  
  
Kizmel nodded before turning her attention back to the waiting little girl. “Epheme, what’s the last thing you remember?” She asked gently in Lunarian.  
  
“We were attacked, and I was separated from Papa!” Epheme looked around frantically again. “Where’s my Papa?” She demanded.  
  
“Epheme, I’m sorry,” Kizmel gave her a sad look. “Your father is dead.” She whispered.  
  
Epheme stared up at the Elf with huge emerald green eyes. Slowly, her eyes became very watery and she started sniffing. Epheme knew from Kizmel’s tone, that the Elf couldn’t be lying. The Elves of Aincrad weren’t known to lie. Then, she burst into tears.  
  
“Meow.”  
  
Epheme blinked, looking down through the tears. “Saberkitty…”  
  
Tilnel knelt down and picked the little kitten up. “ _Hello Thalia. Are you here to help Epheme feel better?_ ”  
  
Thalia purred, jumping from Tilnel’s hands and onto Epheme’s lap.  
  
Epheme hugged Thalia as tightly as she dared, the Sabercat kitten purring all the while.  
  


* * *

****

  
Tilnel heaved a sigh of relief when Epheme dropped off to sleep. “That, went far better than I could have hoped.” She said quietly to her older sister.  
  
“Indeed.” Kizmel agreed. “But it’s still early, so it’s not quite sunken in yet. Once it has…” She shook her head. “Epheme is going to need guardians, any idea on who to ask?”  
  
“I’m considering asking Heathcliff actually.” Tilnel replied. “I know Kirito and Asuna are good with children, their daughters are adorable and very well behaved, but Epheme needs someone older.”  
  
Kizmel nodded. “I suppose that Heathcliff looks enough like his used to that once Epheme is used to him it won’t be a problem.” She agreed, “Asuna doesn’t look anything like Serenity, which works against her, this time.”  
  
“Any bets on Luna wanting to take Epheme home to spoil?” Tilnel asked with a grin.  
  
“No.” Kizmel said quietly. “That’s a fool’s bet. This is the Jewelry Bunny we’re talking about. I’m certain that the reaction will be similar to Umi.”  
  
Tilnel chuckled. “That does seem to be the case,” she agreed. “We can also have Rameses and Kebechet spend time with her. She doesn’t know them, but they’re also from that era and would help her adjust. Also, I am sure that Rājakumāri would be willing to help as well.”  
  
“I’m sure that the ‘cat that adopted Rameses as her human would like to help,” Kizmel said with a nod. “And Kirito’s ‘cat too.” She noted.  
  
“We will have to take her up to see her father’s grave eventually.” Tilnel said, “So that she can say goodbye properly.”  
  
“I’m sure that will be one of the first things Heathcliff will see to, once Epheme has gotten used to her new life.” Kizmel acknowledged. “Now, what about Oberon and Titania?” The older Dark Elf asked, turning to the other two beds.  
  
“They are both adults, so, on one hand, their reactions will be much more predictable.” Tilnel replied with a grimace. “On the other, they are Fairies, which are inherently _unpredictable_.”  
  
Kizmel nodded, “Perhaps we should have Heathcliff on hand, with an illusion?”  
  
“They’d be able to tell, but I think they would appreciate it, since Heathcliff doesn’t actually look that different to what he used to.” Tilnel mused.  
  
“Having a familiar face always helps.” Kizmel allowed. “Oberon can also help with everyone’s ongoing training.”  
  
“He’ll certainly give Kirito a taste of what Captain-General Eldurlag has in store for him and the rest.” Tilnel said slowly, frowning down at the two Fairies who lay on their beds sleeping peacefully.  
  
“I just had a thought,” Kizmel said after a long moment. “What do we tell them about Alfheim? I mean, Heathcliff thinks it’s still there, but perhaps we should suggest that Makoto see if she can visit…”  
  
“Well, I suppose we should hope that they don’t ask?” Tilnel asked hesitantly. “Or, if they do…”  
  
“Then we say that we are going to find out.” Kizmel stated firmly, “We may not know at the moment, but we can always find out. And that is the truth.”  
  
Tilnel thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement. “You are right, sister. Should I ask for Heathcliff to come here before we awaken them?”  
  
“That might be a good idea.” Kizmel hedged. She opened her Mystic Tome and sent Heathcliff a short message.  
  
 **Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
Akihiko paused in his work when the notification popped up.  
  
“What’s going on, Aki?” Rinko asked from the couch.  
  
“Message from Tilnel, asking me to come to HQ.” He replied as he read through the short note. “Would you like to come? I know that you aren’t going to want to go down to the Infirmary, but I’m sure Agil and Kathy wouldn’t mind if you decided to hang out in the Cafe.”  
  
“I would actually like to see this HQ of yours.” Rinko replied.  
  
“All right, we can do that.” Akihiko replied. His wife’s baby bump wasn’t as big as it could have gotten, but he wasn’t going to stop her if she thought she could go up and down the ladder.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Agil smiled when he saw Akihiko and Rinko walk through the door. “Captain. And how is your lovely wife?”  
  
“Good day to you, Agil.” Kayaba called back.  
  
“What are you coming in for?” Agil asked.  
  
“Kizmel and Tilnel have requested that I be here.” Kayaba replied with a smirk. “They seem to think that I can help smooth over Oberon and Titania’s awakening.”  
  
“Your presence will probably help some.” Agil agreed after a moment of thought, “You can go on and head down then.”  
  
“Thanks Agil.” Kayaba said as he led his wife to the kitchen.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Oh good, you are here.” Tilnel said with a smile once she noticed them. “If you could cast your illusion, we’ll get started.”  
  
Kayaba nodded, muttering the spell under his breath.  
  
Tilnel gave Rinko a nod, “Give me a moment to wake these two and then we can check on your baby, if you’d like.”  
  
“That would be very nice, though I dare say your three rescuees are more important.” Rinko demurred.  
  
Tilnel nodded as she turned back to the Fairies and gently pressed the tip of her glowing finger to Titania’s forehead first.  
  
The Fairy’s eyes snapped open and she took a deep breath before sitting up. “Healer Tilnel, it is good to see you, what is going on?”  
  
“Give me just a moment, Titania.” Tilnel said, “A lot has happened, but I would rather that we didn’t have to explain more than once.”  
  
“More than…” Titania blinked as she watched Tilnel move over to Oberon in preparation of waking him as well. “What does that mean?” she asked.  
  
“We’ll tell you in a minute.” Tilnel said as she pressed the glowing tip of her finger to Oberon’s forehead.  
  
Oberon sat up silently and upon seeing Heathcliff narrowed his eyes. “Illusion?”  
  
Heathcliff raised his chin in acknowledgement. “I have been through the rebirth cycle. As such, I don’t look the way I used to.” He explained. “We thought that you would appreciate the effort.”  
  
“We do.” Titania said. “Now, what is going on?” She repeated.  
  
“What is the last thing you remember?” Kizmel asked.  
  
Titania shared a glance with her husband. “The _Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu_ ambushed me as I was leaving the kitchens.” She said, shivering at the memory. “I remember the feeling of constantly being drained for a long time after that.”  
  
Oberon took his wife’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “They ambushed the barracks, I’m sorry to say that I was taken by surprise.”  
  
Heathcliff nodded thoughtfully. “I’m not surprised, that’s what happened everywhere, from what I was able to gather. Not even Aincrad was safe.”  
  
“What about Alfheim?” Titania asked urgently.  
  
“We don’t know at the moment.” Kizmel shook her head. “But we can find out. Princess Persephone has visited Aincrad several times, and I’m sure if we asked, Rauni would be happy to see if she can do the same.”  
  
Titania relaxed, “So then… the princess?”  
  
“The Princess and the Guardians have all been reborn as well.” Heathcliff reassured them. “We only have Lady Beryl’s possessed corpse and the puppet master behind it to deal with.”  
  
“Wait, if we aren’t in the Capitol, then where are we?” Oberon asked in concern.  
  
You are on Earth now.” Kizmel said simply.  
  
“Better on Earth than dead.” Titamia said quietly as Oberon put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
“Indeed, perhaps we can be of use to you, my old friend.” Oberon agreed as he looked to Heathcliff. “But first, tell us what has happened since the Empire fell. And take down your illusion, we might as well get used to what you look like now.”  
  
“Very well.” Heathcliff agreed, “Just as a warning, I don’t look much different, but your Princess does.”  
  
“We can deal with that when we are reintroduced to her.” Titania waved his concern away.  
  
“As you wish.” Heathcliff replied as he sat on one of the few chairs. “It has been ten thousand years since The Fall. Magic, for the most part and Sword Skills and the spells made popular in Alfheim were lost to history. Magic practitioners are rare on this world to the best of my knowledge.”  
  
“But all the Generals have been killed.” Titania said, “How did that happen?”  
  
“Let me tell you about Sword Art Online…” Heathcliff said with a wry smile.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito paused in his homework when the notification popped up. He wasn’t expecting anyone to message him and Aki was in a meeting so… He tapped the notification and read through the short note. “Aki, what is it that you want?”  
  
“Meow.”  
  
Kirito turned to look at his Sabercat, who was sitting on a nearby chair. He reached over and scratched behind one of his ears. “I am feeling much better now, thank you.” He turned his attention back to the note his brother had sent. “Should I? What do you think, Ēkate, Asuna?” he asked, turning to look at the girl nursing a mug of tea.  
  
“I take it Oberon and Titania are awake?” She asked, turning to him.  
  
“They are,” Kirito agreed. “Do you want to come down with me?”  
  
Asuna looked at him over her mug. “Sure, we can go.” She finished her tea and stood up.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Tilnel, can I sit down now?” Rinko asked.  
  
“Certainly.” Tilnel gave the woman a smile.  
  
“Tilnel, is something wrong with her? I sense something.” Titania said, giving Rinko a curious look.  
  
Tilnel smiled. “This is Kayaba Rinko, she is pregnant.”  
  
Titania smiled, “Are you looking for an assistant, Tilnel?”  
  
“You can help me by helping Princess Persephone get back up to speed in the healing arts.” Tilnel replied, turning to look when she heard the sound of someone coming down the ladder. “You expecting someone, Captain?”  
  
Heathcliff sighed, “Just the Commander, and _maybe_ our Princess.” He replied.  
  
“Oh good, better we meet them sooner rather than later.” Oberon said, looking towards the ladder.  
  
Climbing down the ladder was a very lovely young lady. A young lady that looked quite a bit like his Titania from behind. Next to come bounding down was an Aincrad Sabercat.  
  
“What a handsome ‘cat!” Titania exclaimed, brightening up at the sight of him. Then her mood darkened, “Ours is long dead no doubt…” She sighed sadly, watching the Sabercat longingly.  
  
“His name is Ēkate.” Titania turned to look at Heathcliff when he spoke up. “He is the Commander’s Companion.”  
  
“Do you think your Commander would mind if I…?” Titania asked, trailing off.  
  
“Ask him yourself, he won’t bite.” Heathcliff said, gesturing with his chin back to the ladder, where a young man had just stepped off of it.  
  
“You do know that I still have a few assignments to finish by Monday, don’t you Captain?” The Commander asked as he came to stand next to Heathcliff’s chair.  
  
Heathcliff let out a quiet “Oof,” when Ēkate jumped onto the man’s lap and meowed loudly, demanding to be pet.  
  
“Ēkate, knock it off.” The Commander scolded, giving the ‘cat a stern look.  
  
Ēkate lowered his head guiltily.  
  
Titania couldn’t hold her quiet snort of amusement.  
  
“Please forgive him, Ēkate hasn’t been training very long and I’ve not had much time to actually train him.” The Commander said with an apologetic bow.  
  
“Um, may I…” Titania bit her lip. “Can Ēkate sit with me for a while?”  
  
The Commander smiled, “I don’t see why not, he’s a bit grouchy though.” he said over a yowl of protest as he picked the Sabercat up and gently set the huge feline next to Titania on her bed.  
  
Titania’s eyes lit up and she hugged Ēkate tightly.  
  
The young woman who had arrived with the Commander giggled at the ‘cat’s obvious pout.  
  
Oberon has opted to stay silent as he studied the young man, and had noticed several things that made him a bit nervous about trusting the boy to be in charge. “Heathcliff, you fool.” He said quietly.  
  
Heathcliff met Oberon’s eyes squarely. “I stand by the decision I made.” He replied.  
  
“You know why those decisions are frowned upon.” Oberon countered.  
  
“I made my choice objectively, and in total ignorance, if you are willing to believe it.” Heathcliff said. “Guardsman Næturvalla, who escaped captivity, has already remarked on this. And I know Makan is going to want words with me as well.”  
  
“That’s putting it lightly.” Oberon said in wry amusement. “But, he has proven himself to the standards you were looking for while training him? Assuming that I believe you that is.”  
  
“Yes.” Heathcliff replied, “Above and beyond what I was actually looking for.”  
  
“You flatter me, Captain.” The Commander huffed. “And I can’t believe how rude you are being! Are you not going to introduce them to us?”  
  
Heathcliff chuckled in amusement. “Oberon, Titania, these are Kirito, and Asuna.”  
  
The two bowed in greeting. “Pleased to meet you.” the two said in unison.  
  
“I am Kirito, though as you can guess, that’s not my actual name.” Commander Kirito said.  
  
“Is there a reason for that?” Oberon asked.  
  
“It is to protect ourselves from discovery.” Kirito explained. “If you were to look up the name Kirito, you would find that I am talented with coding and computers in general, but you would not find my address.”  
  
“The same cannot be said of me, unfortunately,” Asuna blushed. “I used my real name, but I use Cerridwen when out on patrol.”  
  
“After one of Serenity’s grandmothers?” Titania asked.  
  
“Yes,” Asuna replied. “That’s the point, look up the name, you’ll find entries on folklore and myths and legends. But you’d _never_ find Yuuki Asuna.” Asuna agreed with a sly smile.  
  
“And everyone who went through the Simulation did this?” Oberon asked.  
  
Kirito nodded. “And because of Zoicite’s meddling, we were trapped in it for two years.”  
  
“Everyone needed to know what everyone else looked like, so I had to reset everyone’s avatars to the default, which was their real appearances.” Heathcliff added.  
  
“Yeah, and _that_ turned out to be a blessing in disguise.” Kirito finished.  
  
“Did you get to actually finish the training?” Oberon asked.  
  
“No, we still had twenty-five floors to go when I was forced to cut our training short and end the Simulation.” Kirito replied, turning his eyes on Heathcliff, “Which reminds me, you have Cardinal rebuilding SAO, how far has she gotten?”  
  
“At her last update,” Heathcliff pulled a tablet out of Storage and pulled up the results. “She has nearly finished the fiftieth floor.”  
  
“So, maybe another half a year before people can start playing again?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Six months at the latest, Princess.” Came an almost childish voice from the tablet in Lunarian. “But my estimations are more along the lines of three months.”  
  
“And the Floor Guardians?” Kirito asked, “What about those, Cardinal?”  
  
“Their respawn mechanic had to be turned off, the same as yours.” Cardinal said as a small hologram of Cardinal rose from the tablet. “For much the same reasons. Returning Players will still have access to the higher floors, but the new players that log in will have to beat the Floor Guardians. Older Players may also challenge them again, if they so wish.”  
  
Oberon’s eyes widened. “She’s… _primitive_ …”  
  
“She’s actually amazingly advanced, compared to every other AI out there, well, almost.” Kirito said with a quiet snort. “I hope you didn’t mean that as an insult.”  
  
“Of course not.” Oberon huffed.  
  
Cardinal looked up, “By the way Father, I found another program originating from the moon, it came in as a Trojan, but having taken a long look at the code, I recognized the ancient script you used when you were coding my Program. I have come to the conclusion that it should be safe to unpack, once I’m finished with the rebuilding process that is.”  
  
“Be careful with it.” Heathcliff warned.  
  
“Of course, Father.” Cardinal’s hologram disappeared.  
  
Kirito turned, having sensed something. “Nice to have you all back, Lind, Persephone.” He said pleasantly. “I take it your mission was successful. Was anyone seriously hurt?” 


	34. Doubtful Awakenings and If Onlys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a curveball...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a few spells that need it:
> 
> Ég kalla fimm pixies, til að brjóta tálsýn um tyrkneska. This is Searcher, for Spriggans.
> 
> Ég bindi þig, með reipi af skugga. = I bind you, with ropes of shadow.

**May 25, 2025 Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**  
  
“So, I take it everything went well?” Kirito asked, folding his arms behind his back. “Did you find what you were looking for, Lind?”  
  
“We did indeed.” Lind replied with a large smile. “You aren’t going to believe what we found without proof though.”  
  
Kirito gave the man a flat look as Lind pulled out his phone and handed it over. Studying the picture, Kirito held back a snort. He could not resist. “What a piece of junk.”  
  
Lind’s smirk widened, “She'll make point five past light speed.” he said, in an almost perfect imitation of Harrison Ford’s tone in a slow Lunarian to make sure he was pronouncing the words correctly. “She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid.”  
  
Kirito’s shoulders started shaking; he could barely contain his mirth. “ _Please_ tell me the ship’s name is what I think it is!” He didn’t quite beg.  
  
“The Millennium Falcon’s pilot always made that boast.” Oberon grumbled, “How would these children know that?”  
  
Lind gave Kirito a confused look when the young man turned to stare at the Fairy. “And, where was this pilot last located?” he asked before distractedly translating for Lind.  
  
After that, Lind joined Kirito in staring at the Fairy.  
  
“I believe he was on Aincrad, but I cannot be sure.” Oberon replied.  
  
Kirito sagged a little bit. “That means he could have died during The Fall or any of the system failures that Rameses has told us about.” He sighed, “We can hope that he hasn’t, but that’s a slim hope at best.”  
  
“Well, there’s certainly not much else we can do, especially not before I’ve made any enquiries.” Persephone agreed. “And we have to keep in mind that there are Clearers that have not yet gone to the trouble of learning Lunarian.”  
  
“We are going to have to fix that.” Asuna said with a sigh. “Though I do understand why not everyone chose to. Not every person can be a crazy completionist like you are, Kirito-kun.”  
  
Kirito huffed, giving his fiancée a smirk. “Yeah well, it’s their own fault now. I know that Heathcliff has tricked everyone playing ALO into learning Alvarin because it makes casting spells even easier. Which reminds me, Asuna, how high is your magic stat now?”  
  
“I’ve reached four hundred and fifty.” Asuna replied. “What about you?”  
  
“At last check my Shadow Magic was at five hundred and ten.” Kirito replied. “So, I should be able to start on Fifth Tier soon.”  
  
“That’s impressive.” Titania interrupted.  
  
“What is?” Kirito asked, turning his attention to the Fairy woman.  
  
“That you are, in theory at least, capable of Fifth Tier magic at your age,” Titania explained. “From the number you gave, you have a system of quantifying ability. I would need more explanation on it, but if it translates to what you can do, rather than what you may be able to do, then whatever method you have been using is something that a few Magisters I knew would have happily given up their wings to know.”  
  
“I see.” Kirito said, “The number doesn’t quite translate to actual ability. The method we’re using accelerates the learning of spells, not the theory aspects, so what we learn tends to be more specialized. And according to Asuna… you cooked? Was there anything else you did?”  
  
“I am quite the Healer as well,” Titania said with a smile, “And by the time Tilnel arrived in the palace, I’d already had several apprentices reach their Masteries under my tutelage.”  
  
“That is wonderful news for us then. Up until now, we’ve only had Persephone and Tilnel as healers.” Kirito was saying when a quiet sound caused him to pause.  
  
Epheme had woken up.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Queen Beryl sat there seething in silence on her throne. Her General were gone, that meant that she would have to send Youma now to do everything.  
  
While the Youma were useful, only the really powerful ones were smart enough to be able to create, follow and execute even the simplest of plans. That meant that she would have to use all her really powerful pawns.  
  
Those damnable Senshi, that damnable _Moon Bitch_! Perhaps she should call for her most intelligent Youma then? Yes…  
  
One of Queen Beryl’s hands lashed out and she grabbed a nearby Youma by the throat. “Get me the DD Girls…” She hissed, “Now!”  
  
“Yes Queen Beryl!” The Youma squeaked when the _Sword Wraith_ let go, and scurried away from her.  
  


* * *

****

  
Aoi looked up when the Youma found them all, once again clustered around the recorded footage of Jadeite’s death. “Is there something we can help you with?”  
  
“Queen Beryl has summoned you all to the Throne Room.” The weaker Youma huffed.  
  
Aoi took one last look at the boy who was infuriatingly familiar, "Understood." She said, turning the machine off. "We will be there in a moment."  
  


* * *

****

  
Aoi and her sisters bowed at the foot of Queen Beryl's throne. "You called for us, Queen Beryl?" Akai asked quietly.  
  
"I have a task for the five of you." Beryl crooned.  
  
Aoi kept her head down. They all knew better than to interrupt their queen when she used _that_ tone. And Aoi had never seen her queen this angry before. It sent a chill down her spine. "And what task is that?" Akai asked curiously, with no small amount of fear.  
  
Their ruler had proven to be rather unpredictable lately, and asking for further details of a mission had gotten more than one of their brothers and sisters killed on several occasions already.  
  
Aoi could only hope that Queen Beryl wouldn’t kill Akai for asking, they were all curious.  
  
Queen Beryl flicked a folded up photograph to the ground in front of the five Youma. “You are to find this boy, and _kill him_.” she snarled.  
  
Slowly and carefully, Aoi reached for the photograph and unfolded it. She barely kept her surprise hidden. It was the boy who had killed Jadeite!  
  
“You are dismissed.” Queen Beryl commanded.  
  
“Yes, Queen Beryl, as you wish.” The five DD Girls replied with one voice, bowing their heads low to the ground before leaving the throne room in a hurry.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Well, this changes things.” Midori said, looking to Aoi.  
  
“Not really,” Aoi said dismissively, “I always knew that Queen Beryl would want this boy killed.”  
  
“But that doesn’t change your feelings on the matter does it?” Murasakino asked.  
  
“Of course,” Aoi shrugged, “I will find out what I want about and from this boy, and then I will kill him, as our Queen demands.”  
  
“Are you sure nothing will stop you from killing him?” Usuveniro asked.  
  
“My loyalty to our Queen is absolute.” Aoi sneered, “As you would do well to remember!”  
  
Usuveniro held her hands up in surrender.  
  
Aoi huffed. “It’s time we got going. We have a lot of ground to cover, and likely not much time to cover it all.” She flicked a few strands of her extremely long hair over her shoulder. “Let’s move.” Her golden fairy-like wings opened and she disappeared.  
  
The Youma she had claimed as her sister looked between themselves with worry in their eyes. “Let’s hope she’s not wrong,” said Akai, spreading her own wings as she disappeared.  
  
Midori sent Usuveniro a disapproving look. “You just had to upset her…” She said, shaking her head as she flared her own wings and disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
Usuveniro pouted. “You don’t have to be so mean…” She muttered as she slipped into the shadows.  
  
Murasakino shook her head. “I swear, they are all children.” She snorted. Then she too was gone in an explosion of sparkles.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard the little girl groan as she awoke. Had they been too loud in their discussion?  
  
As Epheme yawned and rubbed the sleeping sand out of her eyes, several of the women had to repress squeals at the little Leprechaun’s utter cuteness. Rinko especially had trouble.  
  
Asuna leaned over and whispered into Kirito’s ear, “I can’t believe I’d forgotten just how adorable Epheme is.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “She’s right up there with our daughters and Umi.” He agreed.  
  
“Are you feeling better, Epheme?” Tilnel asked gently.  
  
Epheme shook her head. “No.” She said, her voice drowning in misery. “Why did Daddy have to die?”  
  
Asuna stiffened, carefully refraining from hopping over to the girl’s bed to comfort her. Most of the time, Asuna was quite happy that she looked nothing like her past life, but not today. Today, she was cursing how different she and Serenity looked.  
  
Thalia started purring sadly, nuzzling Epheme to try and cheer her up.  
  
Epheme only sniffled.  
  
“I hope you don’t mind, Titania if…” Kirito whispered.  
  
“This handsome cat is yours.” The Fairy said just as quietly.  
  
Kirito, nodded, clicking his tongue.  
  
Ēkate sat up, his eyes boring into Kirito’s.  
  
Kirito motioned to Epheme’s bed and the Sabercat leapt lightly, landing next to Epheme. Curling around the little girl, he began to purr in such a way that had his whole body vibrating.  
  
Epheme turned into the larger cat and slowly calmed down.  
  
"Epheme, you remember Heathcliff, do you not?" Kizmel asked.  
  
"My Godfather." The young Leprechaun said quietly with a nod. "But he's dead too now, isn't he?" She asked fearfully.  
  
"Not… exactly." Tilnel shook her head. "Epheme, with your father gone, you need a guardian."  
  
Epheme shot Tilnel an adorable, pouty little glare, “And what does that mean?”  
  
“That means, that I have been through the Rebirth Cycle Epheme.” Heathcliff said soothingly.  
  
Epheme turned to look at him hopefully, studying his face intently. “Then how is it you remember?”  
  
“It must have been the Queen’s spell.” Heathcliff shrugged.  
  
“Will you be taking care of me?” Epheme asked.  
  
“If that is what you want.” Heathcliff replied.  
  
“Where is Big Sister Serenity?” Epheme demanded.  
  
Instead of saying anything, Heathcliff looked to one side, straight at Asuna.  
  


* * *

****

  
Epheme followed her Godfather’s gaze, not understanding what was going on when her eyes landed on a lady that looked nothing like her big sister. “She’s not Big Sister!”  
  
The lady seemed to bite her lip for a moment and looked up, meeting Heathcliff’s steady gaze. “You never make things easy, do you, Father?” she asked, pulling her eyes away to study her lap.  
  
“Nothing worth doing is ever easy, my dear Princess.” Heathcliff replied softly.  
  
The lady sighed and Epheme blinked when their eyes met, emerald green and gentle amber. “My name is Asuna, Epheme.” Asuna said with a gentle smile, “And I too, have been through the Rebirth Cycle.”  
  
“Big Sister?” Epheme asked in disbelief.  
  
“Yes,” Asuna agreed, “Or, at least, I _was_.”  
  
“That makes no sense!” Epheme spluttered.  
  
“It does when you consider reincarnation.” Asuna replied. “Despite many of us being reincarnated and looking close to how we did in our past lives, more than a few of us don’t. And, given how the reincarnation worked when _Tāyi_ sent our souls forward, that may be a good thing. It’s hard to worry about where one life ends and the other begins when you look very different than you did.” She put a finger on her chin. “Well, once the flood of memories stops threatening to overwhelm you, that is. That wasn’t fun.”  
  
Epheme stared at Asuna for a few long moments, and Asuna got the feeling that Serenity’s little sister in all but blood really didn’t understand what she’d just been told. “Ok.” The little girl agreed.  
  
“I can see that you don’t understand.” Heathcliff said gently. “We can try again later.”  
  
“Heathcliff, would you and your wife be willing to take care of her?” Kizmel asked.  
  
“No, I want to stay with Big Sister!” Epheme demanded.  
  
“While I’d love to, you need someone older,” Asun tried to let the girl down gently.  
  
Epheme pouted. Angrily. She wanted to stay with Big Sister!  
  
“There isn’t any room left.” Asuna explained further.  
  
“Fine…” Epheme said finally, dragging the word out in a whine.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Well, Rinko-san, the good news is that your baby is healthy and there are no problems with its development.” Tilnel said as she pulled her hand away from the woman’s stomach. She would have given a gender, but identifying the gender of a fetus this early in a pregnancy was beyond her skills. She could monitor the development of a fetus, and even treat the more common problems with fetal development to ensure a safe pregnancy for both the mother and the baby, but such wasn’t her specialty.  
  
“That’s always nice to hear.” Rinko said with a smile.  
  
Tilnel paused as one of the spells she had monitoring the critically injured started to beep an alarm.  
  
“What does that alarm mean?” Rinko asked in concern when she noticed that TIlnel’s face had paled.  
  
Tilnel frowned, “That means that one of those critically injured has passed away.” The Elf explained in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry, but I have to go there and begin the post-mortem investigation.” Her voice became more clinical as she spoke, holding the emotions back by falling into the detachment that Hakonia had taught her for this eventuality.  
  
Because Healer Hakonia had been a healer in the Royal Guard long enough to have learned how to cope with losing a patient.  
  
 _“When you lose a patient, Tilnel, you have to keep yourself together until it is done. And it will be when, not if._ ”  
  
Rinko’s heart leapt into her throat. “How were they hurt?” She asked in a hushed voice.  
  
“According to Kirito’s report, it was the _Sword Wraith_ that is left.” Tilnel took a breath. “It’s a miracle that he was able to bring them all home. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and begin the post-mortem.”  
  
Rinko said nothing as she watched the Healer walk away.  
  


* * *

****

  
Tilnel sighed sadly as she carefully pulled the sheet up and over Aaaa’s face, “Rest with the Goddesses, young Warrior. For you have well earned it.” She whispered as the alarm went off a second and third time almost right on top of the other.  
  
She could do this, she had to. She could fall apart as soon as she was finished processing them.  
  
“Are you alright, Healer Tilnel?” Tilnel turned to see that it was just Kirito.  
  
Tilnel took a deep breath, “I will be.”  
  
Kirito met her eyes and reached for the Elf, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “How many?”  
  
Tilnel hesitated for a moment. “Three. I don’t think we will lose any more.”  
  
Kirito nodded. “We can contact their families later.” He turned away, looking at her over his shoulder. “We can mourn them all properly as soon as Beryl, and whoever is behind that damned _Sword Wraith_ , are… _terminated_. For now, I will leave you to your work, Healer Tilnel.”  
  
“Goddesses protect you and speed you on your way, Commander.” Tilnel replied before the young man disappeared.  
  
“Would you like me to look over some of the injured, Tilnel?”  
  
Tilnel smiled as she turned to Persephone. “Yes, let’s get to work.” She paused for a moment to take in the sight of the Feathered Dragon sitting proudly on the girls’ head. “I take it Silica sent Pina with you?”  
  
Persephone nodded as Pina chirped.

* * *

  
  
**Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Solbjoem leaned against one wall of the shrine, doing his best to hide the frown on his face as he watched his little sister play with his daughter. ‘What ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ were running through his head. Not a single person except for himself, Oberon, Titania and an eleven-year-old child had survived captivity.  
  
How many could he have saved had he have saved had he tried ten years ago? Or even just a few years sooner than this? How many could he have saved had he brought this up with Mio the moment they’d met or the moment he’d come to trust her?  
  
How many of his comrades and friends had died because he was too busy playing father and family man?  
  
SMACK!  
  
Carefully, Solbjoem brought one of his hands up to his now stinging cheek. He turned, blinking in confusion when he saw that it was his sister’s brother glaring up at him. “Was there something you needed?” Solbjoem asked in a quiet voice.  
  
“Yes,” Rameses said, his eyes narrow in anger. “You can stop blaming yourself for something that isn’t your fault.”  
  
Solbjoem glared at the teenager. “What would you know, kid?”  
  
“I mean you need to stop blaming yourself for only being able to save three people!” Rameses snapped back. “What _could_ you have done? You were unarmed, and certainly not in the best condition when you made your escape with Yomi.”  
  
Solbjoem growled.  
  
“If you had tried to save anyone but yourself and your pregnant wife, all you would have accomplished is to get yourself killed.” Rameses continued, “Then where would Umi and Skuggi be? Where would _Yomi_ have been?”  
  
He stopped, looking away from the boy. “That doesn’t stop how I feel.”  
  
“Then grow up.” Rameses crossed his arms over his chest. “We all need you to be in top form when we go back to avenge everyone we couldn’t save. We won’t be if you continue this pity party of yours!”  
  
Another hand smacked the back of his head, but it wasn’t Yomi. It was Rei.  
  
“Stop being a twit about it.” Rei growled. “There was nothing you could have done Guardsman. If you had tried, they’d have killed you. You have a wife. You made the right call.”  
  
The Spriggan looked away from the Guardian of Mars, knowing that the young woman was right, no matter how much it hurt. “I still wish I could’ve done… _something_ …”  
  
“We all do.” Rei replied, patting the Spriggan on the shoulder. “If you had asked for our help, we’d have given it. However… We are all of the agreement that no one would have gotten out, had the Rescue been staged any sooner. Stop focusing on the ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ and start focusing on _what is_.”  
  
Solbjoem let out a long slow breath as he hung his head in acceptance. She was right, and he knew it.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Kirito pulled his brother away from where Titania, Epheme and Asuna were chatting.  
  
“Brother, Ēkate found something while we were there, in the domain of the Dark Kingdom.” He looked up into the older man’s eyes. “I’m… not sure what it could mean though.”  
  
“What did our Sabercat find?” Akihiko asked curiously.  
  
Kirito looked down at the ground for a moment, to put his thoughts in order. “Ēkate seems to think that our mother was in the Dark Kingdom.” He grimaced. “I’m not sure if that means that she was kidnapped or what…”  
  
“Our mother is dead.” Akihiko reminded Kirito.  
  
“I know that!” Kirito hissed. “But Ēkate has stumbled upon something that makes him think that our mother is not actually dead.”  
  
“And this was during the rescue mission?” Akihiko asked slowly.  
  
Kirito nodded, “Yes.”  
  
“I will look into it.” Akihiko said, “Let’s let Asuna-kun spend some more time with Titania and Epheme.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Of course, Brother.” He agreed. “I’m going to get something from the Cafe upstairs, would you like something?”  
  
Akihiko sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Get me some coffee, I have a feeling I will need it today…”  
  
Kirito nodded, heading for the ladder.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito stretched as he left the fake pantry and saw Kathy at the coffee machine. “Hey, Mrs. Mills?”  
  
Kathy turned to him, “Yes Kirito, what can I get you?”  
  
“One large cup of coffee and another of tea please?” Kirito asked with a smile.  
  
Kathy nodded, “The coffee for Heathcliff?” She asked.  
  
“Yeah, He asked for it so I’ll get it.” Kirito shrugged as he watched her pour the coffee into a take away mug. “I was getting thirsty anyway.”  
  
Kathy chuckled, “Well, I’m glad everyone is getting along.” She said as she put the top on and sealed it before handing the drink over and started on the tea. “You are, aren’t you?”  
  
“For the most part.” Kirito agreed, “Hathor and Nakama haven’t warmed up to us just yet, but that’s because Setsuna has them doing something else that doesn’t really require our involvement.”  
  
“Well, I’m sure they’ll warm up to us eventually.” Kathy said as she capped the steaming mug of tea and handed that over as well. She almost glared in jealousy when he opened his Mystic Tome and shoved them into his Inventory. ”I wish I could do that…” she pouted.  
  
“Then why not play ALO?” Kirito asked, “Once you get your magic stat past a certain level you should be able to use the Mystic Tome too. Once that happens, you can ask Agil to help you activate your Inventory.”   
  
Kathy watched him contemplatively as he headed back towards the fake pantry. Perhaps that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

* * *

  
  
**May 31, 2025; Shintokyo: SAO Survivor School**  
  
Aoi’s eyes narrowed as she watched the students chatting as they entered the buildings. The revving of an engine caught her attention and Aoi turned to watch as a motorcycle rolled up and came to a stop at the gates. She was disinterested in the pair of riders, until they took their helmets off.  
  
It was _that boy_!  
  
Aoi’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. Carefully, she held her hand out and carefully spoke the words to a spell she could not remember learning. “Ég kalla fimm pixies, til að brjóta tálsýn um tyrkneska.” She intoned quietly, and five adorable little pixies of light appeared in her hand.  
  
The tiny pixies began chirping in happiness at seeing her and Aoi could not stop her smile. “Hush, little ones.” she said quietly, gesturing for the Pixies to look at the school.  
  
The boy she was interested in and his companion were still at the gate at the school.  
  
The Pixies looked down at the boy and then back to Aoi, waiting quietly.  
  
“Follow the boy and his companion.” Aoi commanded, And then, tonight report back to me.”  
  
The Pixies flitted away.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito looked up, feeling as if he was almost being watched as he left the school but there wasn’t anything in sight. Still, he felt as if something was. “I’ll have to ask Aki about this later.” He said to himself as he reached the spot he always met with Asuna for lunch.  
  
He didn’t want to inform Asuna just yet, she would become overly concerned. Especially when it might just be nothing.  
  
Kirito made his way to the spot where he and Asuna usually ate lunch and sat down before pulling out his tablet. He might as well see if he could get anywhere with his homework while he waited for his wife’s arrival.  
  
After a moment, his hand snaked out and when he pulled it back, he was holding a tiny little girl between his fingers. He was greatly reminded of Yui and Strea’s pixie forms in Alfheim Online.  
  
Wait wasn’t there a Seeker kind of spell? He knew that there was one in ALO. Now, what was it called? Was it Searcher? Yes, that was it, and it looked different for each of the Races, didn’t it?  
  
The pixie chittered, struggling until it saw his face. It stilled for a moment, blinking up at him silently before it seemed to recognize something in Kirito’s face. Then it started chittering rather excitedly.  
  
Not that he could understand it.  
  
The pixie squirmed out of his grip and settled itself on Kirito’s shoulder. It seemed to sniff at him expectantly. Apparently finding what it was looking for, it cuddled against his neck and started chattering away, not seeming to care that he might not be able to understand it.  
  
His cat jumped up and settled next to him on the bench. Ēkate planted his front paws on Kirito’s lap and sniffed at the pixie. Kirito waited for Ēkate’s next move patiently.  
  
[It’s your Dam’s.] Ēkate concluded, lying down with his chest pinning Kirito’s legs.  
  
“Aki thinks you are insane.” Kirito muttered.  
  
Ēkate snorted, laying his head down between his front paws. [It matters not to me.] The cat’s ears twitched. [Now, scratch my ears.] He demanded.  
  
Kirito rolled his eyes but obeyed as Asuna appeared with their lunch. “So much for getting some homework done…” he grumbled as Asuna sat down.  
  
Asuna giggled at his predicament. “So, Ēkate has demanded something of you?” she asked as she sat down next to Ēkate’s tail.  
  
Ēkate turned to look at her. Then he lifted his tail and curled the tip, because he was very happy to see both her and Kirito.  
  
“I’m happy to see you as well, Ēkate.” Asuna crooned. That was when she noticed the pixie resting on Kirito’s shoulder. “What’s that, Kirito-kun?” she asked.  
  
“I think it’s a pixie, and Ēkate is of the opinion that it belongs to my mother, even though Kayaba Aoi is dead.” Kirito replied quietly. “I _saw_ her die, Asuna and there was no body- wait a minute.” He turned his attention to the pixie. “She disappeared in front of my eyes and there was no body left. Was she captured and escaped with the ruckus we caused?”  
  
“But there was no one else there,” Asuna said. “Remember, we checked, even if it wasn’t as thoroughly as we liked due to that corpse getting involved.”  
  
“Still, Ēkate smelled her and is claiming that the pixie is hers,” Kirito said. “While this doesn’t confirm it…”  
  
“She may still be alive,” Asuna finished.  
  
Kirito nodded. “This little one reminds me of Yui and Strea.” He said, petting the pixie’s head.  
  
The pixie purred happily.

* * *

  
  
**Abandoned Warehouse**  
  
That evening, the pixie who had spent the entire day with Kirito returned to Aoi and began chattering her report.  
  
“Wait, the child Queen Beryl wants to kill smells like me?” the blue skinned Youma asked in shock. But she had always been a Youma… hadn’t she? Aoi put her head in one hand as a very faint memory surfaced.  
  
 _“What will you name him, Mother?”_  
  
 _“You can name him, !@$%#$@.” She yawned, “I am too tired at the moment.”_  
  
 _“He’s beautiful, Mother.”_  
  
Aoi shook her head. “What was that, a memory?” The Youma wondered.  
  
“Are you alright, Aoi?” Akai asked.  
  
“I’m fine, just, just a headache.” Aoi waved the other away.  
  
“If you are sure, Aoi.” Midori agreed. “We should get ready, we are attacking them tonight, yes?”  
  
Aoi nodded in agreement.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Secluded Park**  
  
Guardians Venus and Mars had elected to accompany Kirito and Cerridwen. That was on top of The Immortals deciding that they also wanted to come along.  
  
“This is the largest park in this part of the city.” Kirito said, “If we are attacked here, we don’t have to worry nearly so much about damages.”  
  
Everyone else nodded in understanding.  
  
“So, are we just waiting for them then?” Venus asked.  
  
“Better here than in the middle of the shopping district.” Cerridwen replied.  
  
“Indeed, and at least one of the Youma is going to come after me.” Kirito said, “I did kill two of her generals. Add in what happened during our raid to rescue any prisoners, and she sees me as a threat, if only to break up the cohesion of our soldiers. So I’ll be the bait to lure them away from any Civilians that might still be out.”  
  
“I really don’t like this idea…” Cerridwen grumbled.  
  
“We don’t have any other choice,” Kirito reminded her, “Besides, you are here, in case I get in over my head.”  
  
Cerridwen chuckled with a weak smile. “More like when, but that’s true.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Aoi glared down at the gathered group of people. She needed answers, and she needed them before the boy died.  
  
“Are you ready, Aoi?” Midori asked quietly from behind the blue-skinned Youma.  
  
“I am.” Aoi replied, her voice cold. There could be no hesitation. She opened her hand, whispering a spell.  
  
Getting the idea. Midori and Akai did the same.  
  
Down below, the group split apart, scattering. The five of them landed in the middle of the scattered group and the five Youma split up, Murasakino and Usuveniro going after the one that looked like a samurai while Midori and Akai went after the Senshi.  
  
That left Aoi to go after the boy.  
  


* * *

****

  
“So, they finally showed themselves.” Kirito said softly as he pulled his Anneal Blade from over his shoulder. He would have to give this one his full attention with how strong it felt. And he’d have to do his best to not let her touch him.  
  
He was unlikely to have Asuna’s help this time. But that was alright, he could take care of himself. He would have to.  
  
Kirito took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he eyed his opponent, the blue skinned Youma.  
  
Wait! Blue-skinned?  
  
“Oi, Aoi, get on with it!” The green-skinned Youma called from where she was clashing with Venus.  
  
Kirito hissed at the name. That was his mother’s name, wasn’t it? Perhaps the conclusion he had come to was just slightly off?  
  
Aoi lunged at him, and instead of meeting her attack with the edge of the blade, he turned the sword. The grip wasn’t very comfortable this way. But, if on the off chance that this actually _was_ his mother… he did not want to hurt her any more than he absolutely had to. Kirito knew that he was handicapping himself, but what else was he supposed to do in this situation?  
  
He used all of his strength to push the Youma away, wishing that he’d thought to ask his brother to be a part of the team to take these Youma on as well.  
  
A roar sounded, and Ēkate melted out of the shadows, distracting the woman so that Kirito could put some space between them.  
  
Kirito looked into his Anneal Blade before sheathing it on his back. Using his blade was too dangerous. Especially if this really was his mother.  
  
He’d have to use his Martial Arts skills instead. They could be just as devastating, but at least this way, he was less likely to cut his opponent in half.  
  
The fight was going to be hard enough as it was.  
  
This Youma, Aoi, was perhaps slightly shorter than his fiancée, that would mean that while hard, disabling her for capture would not be completely impossible. And, since his cat was distracting her, maybe he could use that binding spell he’d just found?  
  
Kirito brought his hand up, his fingers spread, “Ég bindi þig, með reipi af skugga!” He called under his breath.  
  
The dim shadow under his feet leapt out from under him and split itself into several thick ropes. They coiled around the blue-skinned Youma, severely restricting her movement and taking her out of the fight.  
  


* * *

****

  
Midori stood there, panting with Akai against her back. “They are better than we thought.” She hissed.  
  
Akai’s eyes drifted over to where Aoi was fighting the boy they had come to kill. Her fight was over, but the kid wasn’t dead. They needed to help Aoi, but first they would have to get through these three. “This doesn’t look very good, does it?” Akai asked.  
  
“No,” Midori agreed. “It really does not.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Cerridwen’s eyes narrowed as she watched the two Youma carefully. The two were acting out of character for every other Youma that they had come across that were not allies.  
  
Why were they acting like Klein’s Youma? Why were they acting like Yomi? They were exercising tactical planning and initiative, considering that they managed to separate everyone to leave Kirito to face the blue one on his own Cerridwen shook her head to clear it. She could not think about that right now, she had to concentrate on the fight.  
  
She tensed as the red-skinned one lunged for her and Asuna brought _Wind Fleuret_ up and parried the Youma’s attack. The female came down on Cerridwen like a ton of bricks and Venus came up from behind the Youma and wrestled the female off Cerridwen.  
  
“Thank you, Venus.” Cerridwen said as the Youma was pinned to the ground.  
  
“You’re welcome, Cerridwen.” Venus said with a grin from where she sat on Akai’s back.  
  
The Youma growled, “Midori, RUN!” she shouted.  
  
The green-skinned Youma faltered, looking back at the red-skinned Youma on the ground. Coming to a decision, the Youma materialized her wings and fled.  
  


* * *

****

  
Murasakino looked up as Midori took off. She huffed, “Usuveniro, get ready.”  
  
“Don’t worry, Murasakino, I have no intention of getting captured.” Usuveniro snapped.  
  
“Then keep your eyes on the humans, they’re proving to be tougher than we expected,” Murasakino hissed back. The purple-skinned Youma took up her stance, her nails lengthening into claws.  
  
Usuveniro did the same.  
  


* * *

****

  
Klein’s hand strayed to the Katana at his side and the sword slid silently out of its sheath. He was ready to deal with the two Youma in front of him.  
  
Dynamm gripped his spear tightly before taking a deep breath and letting it out, his fingers relaxing with the exhale of breath.  
  
“So, Boss,” said Dale. “How should we handle this?”  
  
“How we always deal with Youma, of course.” Klein said with an evil grin.  
  
“I like how you think Boss!” Kunimittz crowed.  
  
Harry One huffed, “Mind on the job Kun!” He reprimanded as the pink and purple-skinned Youma made their move to attack.  
  
After a rather short scuffle Klein and Dynamm killed both of them.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Heathcliff was waiting when the group arrived, dragging their prisoners along. “I would have thought that you’d kill all the Youma tonight.” He rumbled as he led them into the cafe and down the stairs to the kitchen.  
  
Ēkate yowled up at him, bringing his paw down on the blue-skinned Youma, meowing, becoming a real chatterbox.  
  
Kirito sighed when Heathcliff turned his eyes to the young man. “Ēkate insists that this one,” Kirito gestured to the Youma he was carrying, “is our mother. Her scent is tainted with… something, but…” Kirito shrugged.  
  
“I see.” Heathcliff said, his eyes narrowed in thought. “Well, perhaps we should have Tilnel and Titania look at her.”  
  
“That was our thought as well.” Cerridwen agreed.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Hmm…” Titania’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the results of the scan she’d done on the two youma that were confined to two of the beds in the infirmary.  
  
“Well?” Kirito asked in Lunarian so that she would understand him.  
  
“I would like to take a scan of both you and your brother, Commander.” Titania said in the same language, “So that I may make a comparison.” She turned back to look at the blue-skinned Youma. “I can tell you that she was once human.”  
  
Kirito bit his lip, turning to look at Heathcliff who nodded. Kirito turned back to Titania, “Go ahead then.”  
  
Titania nodded with a tight smile as she ran her scans. It wouldn’t take too long for her to get the results. Titania nodded to herself as the results came in. And when she did the comparison, she found what she thought she would find. But how was she supposed to break it to the pair in front of her?  
  
Titania took a deep breath. “The results are in, and yes… this Youma is, or at least _was_ , your mother.”   
  



	35. Purifying Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That must be some good coffee...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tande = Father
> 
> And Umi says bitch

**Minato Ward: Crown Cafe and Arcade**

Motoki stayed as far away from the Youma as he could. He’d seen many different kinds over the years, his cafe and arcade seemed to be a favored target of theirs after all, but this was just plain creepy.

The Youma, who was sitting on a stool at the counter, slammed their mug down on the counter and drunkenly demanded another mug of coffee.

Motoki sighed as he went into the kitchen to make another pot for… was the Youma a female or a male? He shook his head, who cared so long as it wasn’t destroying everything?

* * *

****

  
In the kitchen, Motoki found the other half of his problem. “Reika, what are you doing?” He asked his wife, who happened to be curled in a corner, her face in her hands and her shoulders shaking.

The moment she realised what was going on, his wife had retreated to that corner and hadn’t been able to move since. Motoki couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying and he didn’t like it.

Reika finally looked up and he was relieved to see that her eyes were sparkling with amusement. “I’m sorry Motoki, but this is just-” She stopped speaking and her shoulders shook again. “I need to inform some people and so they can handle it.” She giggled, “Because, at the moment, I can’t, because I’m laughing too hard!”

Motoki sighed, “Do you need me to get the phone dear?” He asked.

Reika shook her head, “No, that’s ok.” She said, waving a hand at her husband. “I’ll just do this.” She said, bringing two fingers down in a line, calling up her Mystic Tome. She went into her Friend List and selected her Guildmaster’s name. Her fingers flew over the holographic keys, even as she giggled gaily.

“I’m still jealous of you for being able to do that, Reika.” Motoki grumbled as he went to the coffee machine.

“Then play ALO with me.” Reika chided as she sent the message.

* * *

**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**

Kirito looked from Titania to the Youma on the bed before turning away. “Excuse me.” He said quietly, striding towards the ladder leading back up to the cafe above.

Titania watched him go sadly. “Will he be alright, Captain?” The Fairy asked, turning to look at Heathcliff.

“Eventually.” Heathcliff said as Kirito disappeared up the ladder.

Asuna said nothing as she watched her Consort leave, She had seen how distressed he was right just by seeing the look in his eyes.

* * *

**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**

“How am I going to explain this?” Kirito wondered to his empty room. He was at a loss. His mother had not died. She’d been taken, twisted into something that none of their family would recognise.

He turned over, burying his face in the pillow. He had to tell his aunt. Had to, he just wasn’t sure how. He wasn’t surprised that Aoi hadn’t recognised him. He’d grown up, he wasn’t the baby that she might _possibly_ remember.

The spark of hope in his chest hadn’t gone out, but it had dimmed quite a bit, especially with what Titania had said.

Aoi hadn’t showed any signs that the Youma with skin as blue as her name, recognised his older brother. And if their mother didn’t recognise Aki… then there was no chance that she would know him.

Kirito ignored the dampening of his pillowcase as his shoulders began to tremble. His breath came in gasps as he tried to keep his feelings under control. He didn’t move when he heard his bedroom door open and then close quietly.

He felt his bed move and the familiar hand of his fiancee gently come to rest on his right shoulder.

“Nothing I say will make you feel better, will it?” Asuna asked quietly into the silence of the room.

“Not unless you can somehow make my mother remember, and return her to the way she used to be.” Kirito said, not bothering to lift his head. He felt her hand stiffen for a moment before she relaxed again. “And no, that doesn’t mean you need to break out the _Ginzuisho_.” He added. “Let’s see what we can do first. If we can’t do anything, then we should probably go to the Moon and get the AI Queen Serenity’s input, first. What little we know about it comes from SAO, and there is good reason to think that using it should be a last resort, at that.”

“Alright.” Asuna agreed, “We can do that. And I think I have an idea about what we should try first.”

Kirito turned to look at her, “And what’s that?” He asked almost flatly.

“Well, my Light Magic is for _purifying_ isn’t it?” She asked, “I’m sure that Kitty Luna will have a tool that will help me to channel that magic.”

“You think you can do it?” Kirito asked.

Asuna smirked deviously. “Yes, I know I can.”

Kirito blinked up at her.

Her smirk softened to a smile and she leaned down to kiss him gently. “I promise you, Kirito-kun, I will not give up, and I will not stop until your mother is whole again.”

Kirito sat up, turning to her. After a moment, Kirito pulled Asuna into a tight hug. “Thank you, Asuna.”

She waited for him to calm down before pulling away. “You sit tight and wait for me, ok?” She asked, “I’m going to go make the first attempt to purify Kayaba-san.”

Kirito nodded as he watched her get up, “May the Force be with you.”

Asuna nodded as she left his room.

* * *

****

  
Asuna turned to look at the black Mau. “Luna, I think you know what I need.” She said with a straight face.

Luna nodded slowly, a wand with a crescent moon on the top appeared in her mouth. “This is what you are asking for.” She said after Asuna had taken the wand from her. There is a place for the _Ginzuishou_ , though you don’t need it to use the wand.”

Asuna sighed at the pink handle, “Does it really _have_ to be so girly?” She grumbled to herself. “Well, nevermind that, it will help with limiting how much I use. Now, I have places to be.”

Midori was waiting for her by the door, “Don’t stay out too late please. We worry over you.”

“I won’t, if what I’m planning to try doesn’t work, I’ll come right home.” Asuna reassured the woman. “I know how late it is.”

* * *

**Crown Cafe and Arcade**

Boxy, Bunbo, Binah, Rameses, Silica and Kebechet stepped foot into the cafe, and stopped at the sight of the Youma.

“What.” Silica said dumbly, before she opened her inventory and pulled her phone out. “I have to film this, there is no way anyone will believe this if I don’t.”

“You know, I’ve seen some crazy things back home, but this is new,” Rameses said. “A Youma. Who is drunk off her ass and singing what sounds like drinking songs. What’s next, a Sword Wraith deciding to become an Aincrad renowned chef?”

Kebechet gave her brother a sideways look, “Brother, it’s _Aincrad_ , are you trying to invoke Aincrad’s Sixth Rule?” She asked.

“At least I’m not asking how bad it could be,” Rameses replied.

Silica smacked him on the back of the head. “Your sister _just warned you not to invoke Murphy!_ ” She scolded. “Just saying that will tempt him!”

“Ow!” Rameses rubbed at the back of his head.

Boxy walked up to Motoki, “What are you feeding it?” He asked out of idle curiosity.

“Coffee?” Motoki asked, offering the cup he was holding to the Priest.

Boxy took the mug and sampled it. “Hmm, good coffee,” He gave Motoki a curious look before he turned to look at the Youma, noticing that Silica had taken her phone out and was filming the incident. “But, that doesn’t explain how the Youma got drunk.”

“Boxy, what does caffeine do to spiders?” Rikuokiadar asked between giggles from the door to the kitchen of the cafe.

Boxy blinked then he snorted in amusement. “Silica, don’t lose that video.”

“Why would I do that?” Silica asked, “Do we _have_ to kill this thing?”

That was the moment that one of the regulars came in with a few cases of alcohol, a few of them murmuring that they were too sober for this.

“No, we might not have to. But we still got to take care of this thing.” Boxy said to Silica before turning back to Rikuokiadar. “I can see why you called us.”

Rikuokiadar nodded. “Please?”

Boxy nodded. “Excuse me,” he said to the Arachnid Youma, “I have a few questions for you.”

“…Will I get more coffee?” The Youma slurred.

“That depends on if you are here to cause trouble or not.” Boxy replied, “Are you?”

The Youma paused to think about it for a moment. “No.”

“Then you can have more coffee, we know someone you can work with for it.” Boxy replied and he carefully took a cup of coffee from Motoki and handed it to the Youma.

The Youma nodded in agreement, slowly taking the mug of coffee from the man.

Bunbo pulled out his phone and called Yomi.

* * *

**Dicey Cafe**

When Asuna arrived back at the Dicey Cafe, she was surprised to see that Heathcliff and his wife were still there. “I thought the two of you would have left already.”

“We were about to, why, Asuna-kun?” Heathcliff asked, blinking when he saw the Moon Stick clutched in one of her hands. “Ah, I see…”

Asuna took a deep breath and said, “You don’t have to stay, I don’t think this first attempt will work, but I still need to try.”

“Then we shall leave you to your work, Princess.” Heathcliff said, “However, we shall stay up here and give you a ride home.”

“Thank you, Tande.” Asuna said with a smile. “This shouldn’t take too long, whether what I am going to attempt is successful or not.”

“Then get going.” Rinko said, pushing her gently towards the door to the kitchen.

Asuna nodded, smiling at Rinko.

* * *

****

  
Titania looked up from the sedated Youma occupying two of the beds that she and Oberon had just recently occupied. “Asuna.” She greeted.

“Titania.” Asuna returned as she approached. “I wanted to try something.”

“And that is?” Titania asked.

“I want to see if I can return these Youma to who they were before.” Asuna explained.

Titania nodded, taking a step away from Aoi’s bedside, “Go ahead, though be warned, the longer someone has spent as a Youma, the harder it will probably be to purify them.”

“I understand that.” Asuna said as she stopped next to Aoi’s bed. “I’m not actually expecting to be successful. But how can I know that I can’t do this if I don’t try?”

Titania nodded in understanding.

Asuna raised the Moon Stick over her head, “Moon Healing Escalation!” She intoned and Aoi began to glow. For a moment, Asuna thought that she’d actually done it.

Then the spell shorted out and Titania had to catch Asuna before the girl lost her balance. “Well…” Titania said as she steadied the girl, “You said you were expecting to fail…”

“That took _way_ too much magic.” Asuna groaned. “Ok, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do anything after this.”

“Then you should head home.” Titania said.

“I will, Captain Heathcliff has offered to drive me home.” Asuna said as she got her ballance back. “I’m heading back upstairs to go home.”

“Have a good night, Asuna.” Titania baid the girl goodbye.

Neither of them noticed the Youma’s eyes twitching under the closed eyelids.

“Goodnight, Titania.” Asuna said as she headed for the ladder.

* * *

**June 2, 2025; Kawagoe Elementary**

Midori sighed as she sat on the roof of the school she’d been hiding out in. Avoiding the students and staff was easy enough for her, as well as finding a place to hole up due to the tendency of humans to not look up. It was also made easier due to her using some illusions to conceal her presence in the rafters of the structure she was in, and able to take in the residual life energy that bled off the children who often came there.

Nowhere near as effective as draining someone actively was, let alone coming close to being filling, but she would take it. Maybe she could set up something to better drain them without drawing attention…

But that recent battle… it drained her of her reserves more than she liked and resulted in a defeat! Two of her peers had been killed and two more were captured. Who knew what the Senshi were doing to them! Did they just kill them out of hand? Make a sport of it and take their time like some game? Or were they torturing the other two survivors for their own sick amusement?

The thought of that happening to Aoi and Akai was almost enough to make her blood boil and break out into a rage. In fact, if she’d been any other Youma, she probably _would have_ done exactly that.

But she couldn’t just become a rage monster, Midori knew that she had to bide her time and make a plan. It would be so much easier to do that if she wasn’t so hungry.

Perhaps she should try draining a little bit of energy from everyone at once? There were hundreds of people here most days, weren’t there? She’d have to set something up in every room, but if she went slowly, and that would take a few days to set up completely… But she would be well fed. She would not have to go anywhere else and no one was likely to notice that she was even here.

That was the best plan her hungry mind could come up with. And it was the best chance she had to survive, she was going to take it.

* * *

****

  
Umi and her friends had just finished their club practice when Umi felt something in the air change. Her grip tightened on her ribbon as she looked around.

“Umi, what’s wrong?” Kagome asked quietly, seeing that something had caught her friend’s attention.

Umi stayed silent for a moment for a moment. “I feel as if I’ve had one of Mommy’s massages.” Umi replied finally, “Kind of tired, but not enough to be a problem…” Umi’s eyes narrowed and she looked up.

There was a green-skinned woman in the rafters. The Youma seemed to be fiddling with something. And if she was feeling as if Mommy had given her a massage… That Meanie! She was stealing people’s energy! Something had to be done about this!

There was a cracking sound, and Umi knew that Daddy’s illusion had been broken. In front of her friends. _Deal with the Youma first, and then hope that Kagome and the others give me a chance to explain after._

Umi twirled her ribbon and then used it like a whip. The end wrapped around one of the strange Youma’s arms and Umi gave a mighty tug, pulling the Youma off balance and down from the rafters. Umi then used her supernatural speed to grab several more ribbons and tied the Youma up, making sure to tie the limbs in a way to not allow any leverage, just like her daddy taught her.

“ _Þú tík!_ ” Umi raged at the green-skinned youma after she was done. “I hate you!”

The green-skinned Youma just blinked in confusion as she watched the adorable young Youma rage. She tried to break the ribbons that tied her up and realized that she couldn’t exercise any leverage to utilize her strength.

“Hey, Kagome?” One of the other team members whispered.

“What Sango?” Kagome asked, turning from the screen on her phone to the team captain.

“Did you get all that?” Sango asked hopefully, “And, can I have a copy?”

Kagome nodded slowly, “Yes I got it all and yes, you can have a copy.” She said seriously.

Sango hugged her younger friend. “Now I’m a bit jealous though… Umi is so cute…” The girl pouted.

Umi blushed as she turned to her friends. “Um…”

“Umi, we were there when your dad, aunt and uncle took on those Youma,” Kagome explained. “And we saw your dad and aunt become… well, they had pointed ears like you do.”

Umi looked down. “I’m..half Fairy…” She wasn’t sure how her friends would take it, not with the known folklore of the fairies on this planet. What if the knowledge made them run away?

Kagome and Sango shared a look before pouncing on their friend. “You can do magic, we think that is really cool.” Kagome said, hugging her friend tightly.

Umi squeaked as she fell to the floor under her friends.

* * *

****

  
Solbjoem tapped his toe quietly as he watched the gates of Umi’s school. She was late in getting out and he was starting to get worried. She should have left the school fifteen minutes ago right? Perhaps he should go inside and look for her.

Taking a moment to think it over, Solbjoem nodded to himself and headed into the school, towards the room where he knew Umi and her friends practiced their club activities.

“Umi,” he called as he entered the school. Her club room wasn’t very far away from the front door so he didn’t have very far to go.

* * *

****

  
Umi’s head shot up.” Daddy!” she said, her cheeks going bright red, how would he take the sight of her trapped in a group hug and cuddle pile. Well… at least she didn’t have to worry about her friends, right?

The door to the club room opened and her daddy blinked at the sight, his eyebrows going up at the sight of the Youma, and Umi under two of her friends in front of the very properly tied up prisoner.

“Well, what happened here?” Her Daddy asked in amusement.

“That… _Meanie_ was planning to drain the school!” Umi muttered, being very careful not to tell her father that she’d used one of his bad words. “I couldn’t let her do that so I tied her up! Just the way you taught me to!” She couldn’t help the hint of pride that she could hear in her own voice.

Her Daddy walked over and inspected her knots. “You did good Umi.” He praised. “The Captain wants her brought back to the Cafe, so I’d better take her there. “Your mother is still at work, so I’m going to drop you off there before doing that though.”

Umi untangled herself from her friends. “Ok!”

Solbjoem gave his daughter headpats, using the movement to cover the casting of the illusion.

“Can we come too?” Kagome and Sango asked.

“You will have to get permission from your parents.” Her Daddy replied. “And Kagome, I’m going to need a copy of that video of yours.”

“Yes sir!” Kagome agreed. She went into her phone and sent him a copy.

“Thank you.” Her Daddy said. “Shall we get going?”

“Yes Daddy!” Umi agreed as the three of them got up.

* * *

**Dicey Cafe**

After dropping Umi and her friends off with Yomi, and oh, had she laughed at the sight of a Youma tied up with ribbons like an odd Christmas gift, Solbjoem made his way to the cafe. “Hello Agil.” He greeted when he entered the establishment, the Youma his daughter captured and tied up slung over his shoulder, still trying to work her way loose from the ribbons that Umi bound her with.

“Afternoon Guardsman.” Agil replied. “Is that the Youma that got away?” he asked.

“When I get free of this, I am going to _eat_ you!” The youma growled out

“She is.” Solbjoem confirmed before turning his attention to the bound Youma he was carrying over his shoulder, “And my wife might have something to say about you eating me, that’s her job. Are the other two being kept in the infirmary?”

The bound Youma stilled. “Other two?” She asked.

“They are.” Agil replied with a nod, ignoring the Youma..

“Then may I leave our new prisoner here?” Solbjoem asked.

Agil waved him to the stairs leading to the kitchen.

* * *

****

  
Titania smiled when she saw him. “How are you, Guardsman?” she asked.

“Quite well, Lady Titania.” the Spriggan replied with a smile. He deposited his burden onto one of the beds. “My daughter caught this one.” He said.

“Clever girl.” Titania complimented.

They both turned when they heard one of the other two groan. It was Aoi.

“Why did the Princess want this one captured and not killed?” Solbjoem asked quietly.

Titania looked from the blue-skinned Youma to her fellow Fairy. “This one here,” she said, gesturing to the Youma, “Was once the Commander’s mother.”

“Wait… what does that mean?” He asked.

Titania shook her head as she opened her Mystic Tome and sent Heathcliff a message. “I cannot tell you what it means, because I do not know myself.” She said finally after half a minute of silence.

A few minutes later, Heathcliff arrived. “You called for me, Titania?”

“The Youma seems to be waking up.” Titania replied, turning to him. “Should I dispel the restraints?”

“Not yet.” Heathcliff said quietly, “We don’t know what Asuna did, if anything.”

Titania nodded in agreement. “I see.” She said as Aoi’s eyes snapped open.

“Akihiko, where are we?” The blue-skinned Youma demanded before she got a good look at him. “Aki- what happened to you? You’ve... gotten older?” She looked around and paused as her gaze alighted on Titania.

Heathcliff’s eyes had gone wide in surprise. Asuna’s spell may not have completely purified the Youma, but that was his mother. How was he going to tell her that Kazuto was… almost old enough to get married? How was he supposed to break it to his mother that she’d missed more than a decade of both their lives? He took a deep breath. “It’s been thirteen years, mother.”

“Thirteen years? But-!” Kayaba Aoi stopped herself, her eyes narrowing. “Aki… _Where is Kazuto?_ ”

Aoi’s nature as a Youma just made that tone more terrifying.

TItania hid a smile behind one of her hands.

“He’s staying with Aunt Midori right now.” Heathcliff explained quietly.

“Good, I would not have wanted him to get lost in the system.” Aoi sighed in relief. She sat up slowly. “You’ll have to get me caught up with everything… Have your nightmares gotten any better?”

“They don’t bother me anymore.” He reassured her.

Aoi nodded. “I see, I’m glad that they are not. What about that girlfriend of yours, Rinko?”

“We got married earlier this year.” Heathcliff admitted sadly.

Aoi sighed. “I’d like to see Kazuto in the morning.” She lay back down on her borrowed bed. “I’m tired, and I don’t know why.”

“Then I will let you rest, Mother,” Heathcliff said quietly.

* * *

****

  
Solbjoem saw the Captain walk out of one of the rooms and headed over, his irate cargo still trying to wriggle out of his daughter’s bindings.

One of the Captain’s eyebrows rose when the man say Solbjoem’s cargo. “What happened here, Guardsman?” He asked.

“My daughter caught this one in her school.” Solbjoem said, “And I have video of her doing so.”

The Captain eyed the Youma, a small smile of amusement making its way onto his face. “I think I’d like to see that…”

Solbjoem retrieved his phone and handed it over. “Where should I put her, with the others?” He asked.

“We have them separated,” Heathcliff replied. “I would recommend that you put her in a room that is separate from them while Titania looks both her and the other one over. We learned something when she scanned Aoi, the one that… well, if Kazu and I need another reason to rekill a corpse, we have one. I also owe my brother’s cat some fish because he was right.”

* * *

**Praśāntate Samudra**

Asuna slowly slid to the ground near where the AI of Queen Serenity usually activated. She was surprised that she hadn’t fully recovered her magic yet. She sighed, “My attempt didn’t seem to do anything for her…”

“Is there something you needed, my dear?” the Queen’s AI asked as she appeared behind Asuna.

Asuna turned to look at her. “I tried to purify a Youma, not that I was very successful.” Her grip tightened on the Moon Stick, “I came to see if you could give me some pointers.”

The AI smiled. “I see.” She looked up at Asuna, “Anything in particular, channeling, how to power the spell properly?”

Asuna bit her lip. “More like how do I stop my spells from consuming all my power, and how do I not waste any.”

The AI hummed in acceptance. “Which spell were you using?” She asked, climbing into Asuna’s lap.

Asuna put the Moon Stick down, “Moon Healing Escalation.” She replied. “It felt as if my magic was being… I don’t know.” She shook her head as she looked down at the AI. “I felt as if I was using everything.”

“That’s not the first spell you’ve used?” The AI asked.

“That was Purifying Moonlight, I think.” Asuna replied.

“Well,” The AI huffed, “That _Wand_ is not going to help you, especially if you’ve already used another medium to channel your magic.”

“But I don’t want to hold the woman who would be my mother-in-law at sword point!” Asuna protested, her voice an octave higher than normal due to alarm.

“Your sword does not have to leave its sheath.” The AI reassured the girl. “There just has to be contact between who you are purifying and something touching your sword.”

Asuna nodded slowly in understanding, calming down. “That would have left a bad taste in my mouth.” She hugged the AI. “I will use _Wind Fleuret_ when I next attempt to purify anything. Will Aoi-san retain any of her abilities afterwards?”

“I do not see any reason that your Consort’s mother would not keep any abilities she has learned since she went missing.” The AI said. “This wand is more ceremonial than anything else, none of the queens actually used it unless times were dire.”

“Like the night of The Fall?” Asuna asked, completely engrossed in the lesson.

The AI nodded sadly. “Exactly. I was rather fond of something much more plain myself.” She said, a long teal rod with what looked like a quarter of a circle with little green gems inlaid at the top.

“I see.” Asuna said, “That does look much more usable. Especially since we are trying to keep who I am under wraps for as long as possible.” She put the Moon Stick in her Inventory and gave the AI another hug. “Thank you for the advice, Tāyi.”

“I am always willing to give advice.” The Ai said as Asuna placed her back down on the floor of the palace. “Just don’t be too much of a stranger, alright dear?”

Asuna nodded, “Alright.” She agreed, then Asuna turned and left the palace.

* * *

**June 3. Dicey Cafe**

Aoi was up and eating, not that it was doing much for her hunger, but it was better than the probable alternatives, when her two sons arrived. She was extremely angry at her kidnapper. That woman, if she even was one, had stolen a lot from her family.

She may not look normal, but Aoi was not going to let that stop her from helping her sons.

Aoi’s eyes widened, “Kazuto?”

“Mother.” The sixteen-year-old replied, looking into her face. “We’ve missed you.”

Carefully, Aoi set her tray to one side and pulled her younger son into a hug. She could feel powerful muscles and magic under his skin, his energy pulsing, like his heartbeat was strong and regular. And she couldn’t be happier. “How’s school been?”

“I am doing well,” He replied. “I missed two years, through no fault of my own. But I have managed to claw myself back up into the top twenty percent, which is where I was before…”

“Before what?” Aoi asked, her eyes narrowing in concern.

“I turned those dreams I had into a game, Mother.” Akihiko said, “Because I wanted to share the beauty I’d found in that Floating Castle. I told you about that, didn’t I?”

“You did,” Aoi agreed as she let Kazuto pull away. “I had hoped that I would get to see your efforts myself. Did something go wrong?”

“The one who did it is dead now.” Kazuto picked up, “But for six thousand people… we were trapped, for two years in that place. And most of us learned to love it as much as Aki does.” He blushed. “Um, Mother?”

Aoi gave him a curious look. “Yes?”

“I’m… engaged.” Kazuto said.

“To whom?” Aoi asked with a sly grin.

“Yuuki Asuna.” He admitted.

“Well, at least I’ll get to help plan _one_ of my son’s weddings.” She sighed, giving Aki a pouting look. “How old is she?”

“Seventeen.” Kazuto replied, “And you’ll get to meet her later, because she’s going to try healing you again tonight.”

Aki checked his watch. “We need to leave if Kazu is going to get to school on time.” He said. “We will come see you later.”

“Have a good day boys.” Aoi said with a smile. “Aki, I expect to see Rinko soon.”

“You will.” Aki reassured her as they left the room.

* * *

****

  
Kirito climbed down the ladder and into the Infirmary after school. Asuna appearing a moment later. “Why are you carrying your Rapier?” He asked, “We aren’t going on Patrol for another hour.”

“I need it to finish what I started.” Asuna replied, patting his cheek. “I just need her to place one of her hands on it for this to work.”

“I see.” Kirito said, guiding her to the right room. “I take it the Queen had some useful advice?”

“Very,” Asuna replied, “In fact, The Moon Stick is only for the most dire of circumstances, where potentially killing myself to fuel a spell is secondary to what needs to be done Otherwise, it is mostly for ceremonial purposes.”

Kirito chuckled as he opened the door for her. “It is very girly isn’t it?”

“Too girly for my taste certainly.” Asuna agreed, noticing the others in the private room. “Are we the last to arrive?”

“We are.” Kirito agreed. “Dad can’t be here because he’s still overseas, but that’s ok.”

Asuna took a deep breath, “Ok, time to get to work.” She said to herself.

Aoi looked up when she heard the door close. “Kazuto.”

Kirito gave her a smile and nodded. “Mother.” He said, gesturing to Asuna. “This is my fiancée, Yuuki Asuna.” He turned to Asuna, “Asuna, this is my mother, Kayaba Aoi.”

Asuna bowed in greeting. “I’d like to finish what I started, if I may?” She asked.

“I certainly don’t want to stay this way.” Aoi said, “What do you need me to do?”

Asuna removed _Wind Fleuret_ from her belt, “Just lay one of your hands on the scabbard of my sword, I’ll do the rest.” She explained.

Aoi laid her hand upon the center of the scabbard.

Asuna took another long breath and then let it out. “ _Moon Healing Escalation!_ ” She called quietly to the silent room. Again, she felt the drain, but this time, it was much more manageable. And when she felt like she might be running out, Aoi finally glowed and the spell finished.

The glow that enveloped the blue-skinned Youma blinded everyone in the room for a good minute before fading and Asuna stumbled backwards into her fiancé’s arms, panting for breath.

Kirito held her tightly as he waited for the spots to fade. When he opened his eyes again, His mother and Aunt were hanging onto each other as if one of them was going to disappear again. Grandfather was hugging them both just as tightly. Turning his attention back to Asuna, his grip tightened even more. “Are you all right?” He asked.

“I will be.” Asuna replied. “I know that I didn’t use all my magic, but I don’t use as much as this took on a regular basis.”

“Do you need me to take you home?” He asked.

“No, I’m fine.” Asuna denied. “Perhaps I need something to eat, and maybe a nap, but I’m ok. And I’ll be able to participate in our Patrol.”

Kirito nodded slowly, his eyes turning back to his mother, who had turned to Aki and Rinko-nee. With the way her eyes were shining, she’d found out about the kid they had on the way. She was chatting animatedly with the woman, probably about names or something.

Finally, the woman he barely remembered turned to him and Asuna. “What are the two of you waiting for? Come here already!”

Kirito smiled as he pulled Asuna with him. Her hair, as dark as his own, was as long as it had been before she had been purified.

Aoi looked into Asuna’s tired eyes and smiled softly. “Thank you, Yuuki Asuna, for freeing me.” She said as she pulled both teens into an embrace.


	36. Purifying Trips and Kittens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jupiter takes a trip off planet and comes back with kittens!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Japanese, mostly Alvarin
> 
> Þekktu sjálfan þig! = Identify yourselves!
> 
> Slappaðu af, við erum ekki hér til að valda vandræðum. Ég er Guardian Jupiter og þetta er vinur minn. = Calm down, we aren't here to cause trouble. I am Guardian Jupiter and this is my friend.
> 
> Sannaðu það = Prove it.
> 
> Tanomanai to wakaranai. = We won't know either way if we don't ask.

**June 4, 2025: Dicey Cafe**  
  
“So, you are going to try purifying Akai and Midori then?” Aoi asked.  
  
“I’m hoping to restore their memories if nothing else.” Asuna said, “I’m not sure if I’m strong enough on my own to be able to do more than that.”  
  
Aoi nodded in understanding. “Thank you,” she said. “No matter what ends up happening, I am grateful that you are trying. They deserve better than to be that bitch’s slaves.”  
  
Asuna nodded. “Thank you.” She said, bowing respectfully to the tired looking woman. “I will be on my way then, since you are still tired.”  
  
“Have a good day at school, then.” Aoi bade her goodbye.  
  
“I will, see you later, Kayaba-san.” Asuna returned, leaving the private room.  
  


* * *

****

  
That afternoon Asuna entered Akai’s isolated room. She had been sedated, and Titania and Oberon were both feeding her enough to keep the Youma from going mad with hunger.  
  
Asuna did not know how long the person had been a Youma, but it was longer than Aoi. She was likely to fail at completely purifying _one_ of the other two, never mind trying to purify both. But Asuna knew that if she could restore their memory, it would be a win for their side. And if she could not purify them completely, then these two could be sent to Yomi, whose way of keeping herself fed would work for these two as well.  
  
It might not, but Asuna was sure that given enough time, they’d be able to find a solution. And it had to work, first.  
  
Asuna gently rested the tip of her scabbard against the red-skinned Youma’s hand. “ _Moon Healing Escalation._ ” She said quietly.  
  
The Youma glowed, but a few moments later, the spell cut out and Asuna had to sit down. Asuna sat down hard in the chair she’d placed, breathing heavily. It didn’t _look_ like the Youma had been affected at all, but they would find out when she woke.  
  
She had used too much magic tonight. She’d have to make her attempt on the green-skinned Youma tomorrow instead. “This takes way too much magic.” Asuna grumbled to herself as she stood from her seat that left the room.

* * *

  
  
**June 6, 2025: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Titania looked up when Asuna came down, “Asuna.”  
  
“Hello Titania.” Asuna smiled. “Has the red-skinned Youma awoken yet?”  
  
“She woke up for lunch, so we fed her some food and energy.” Titania replied. “I monitored her while she was doing so. Apparently she derives far less sustenance from food than from energy. She still gets something from it, but the requirements for her alone with a conventional diet would get expensive quickly just from the amount of food she would need to get the proper amount of sustenance. And no, she is not happy about that. She also asked about your health, by name I might add.”  
  
“She didn’t use the name Asuna, obviously.” Asuna said in amusement. “So she was either a resident of Aincrad when _She_ was training there, or she was a resident of the Lunar Palace.”  
  
Titania nodded. “She also asked after her Little Blue Sister, I’m assuming that she means Aoi.”  
  
Asuna nodded. “We can get her name after I attempt to heal our irritated green-skinned friend.”  
  
“I wish you luck with that,” Titania said, “She _should_ still be sedated, but you can’t really know, since these aren’t the run of the mill Youma that I have heard about.”  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Asuna said with a grim smile. “How has Aoi’s recovery gone?”  
  
“Fairly well,” The Fairy said, happy for the change of subject. “I was about to test for her Magical Affinity.” Titania replied.  
  
“It will likely be a Shadow Affinity,” Asuna said. “Kirito, the Captain and their cousin have it as their primary affinity, though Suguha has a strong wind secondary.”  
  
Titania nodded, “I’ll take that into account then.”  
  
Asuna gave the fairy woman a nod before slipping into the green-skinned Youma’s room.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kayaba Aoi looked down at her human hands. Asuna was such a sweet young woman. And Aoi was thankful that Asuna had managed to save her from her captors.  
  
But, while Asuna had managed to give Aoi her life and memories back, she still remembered the things she did as a Youma. Without Aki and Kazu, Aoi was certain that she would have gone insane.  
  
The things she’d done while in captivity, as just another Youma made her sick to her stomach. So Aoi was doing her best to keep her mind off of the particular topic.  
  
Akai and Midori had not been Youma when the first met thirteen years ago, Aoi knew that much. They’d been… what had they been? She was still struggling to remember some things, like people’s names.  
  
They were… Right, that was it, their names were Sanna and Selja. Aoi hoped Asuna would be able to save them.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna slipped into Midori’s room silently. The Youma was asleep, but that was to be expected, Since Titania had been keeping all three sedated before Aoi had been healed.  
  
The seventeen-year-old did the same that she had done to Akai, placing the tip of her sword on top of Midori’s hand and cast Moon Healing Escalation. The light of the purification magic covered the Youma for a bit and ended, showing Asuna that it hadn’t completely purified her. Midori was still a Youma. If it had overridden Queen Beryl’s indoctrination and programming, would be determined once the Youma woke up.  
  
Putting her rapier away, Asuna sat down in a chair for a few minutes before getting up to leave.  
  
Kirito was waiting for her upstairs.

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo: Kayaba’s Apartment**  
  
“So, The Sword Wraith impersonating who Beryl-chan used to be kidnapped our mother and brainwashed her.” Kazuto said, his voice a dangerous growl. “What are we going to do about that?”  
  
Akihiko said nothing as he looked out the window, up at the full moon in the night sky. “Of course we are going to kill it.” He said finally, turning to look into his brothers golden eyes. “However, Minako has brought something up.”  
  
“And that is?” Kirito asked.  
  
“She, and the rest of the Guardians have castles that orbit their planets.” Akihiko said. “Minako wants to take Lux with her and investigate hers. See what kind of condition everything is in.”  
  
“You think we should have every Guardian do that.” Kirito’s reply was more statement than question.  
  
“Not all at the same time, obviously.” Akihiko said.  
  
“I think that is a good idea.” Asuna spoke for the first time in this meeting. “Not all at once, but I don’t see why we can’t send two at a time.” She turned to her Consort. “Titania does want to see if Makoto can get to Alfheim safely after all.”  
  
“So… We send Minako with Lux to Venus and Makoto to Jupiter?” Kazuto asked.  
  
“Not necessarily at the same time.” Akihiko cautioned. “We are nearing the endgame, we are going to need all hands on deck for when we storm the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
Kazuto’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists and he nodded. “Beryl-chan had better hope that she gets to that Sword Wraith before you or I do.”  
  
“That goes without saying.” Akihiko agreed. “Mother is going to want to help us now that she can.”  
  
“It’s not as if we can turn her away, even if we wanted to.” Kirito put his face in his hands.  
  
“Should probably give her ALO, to keep her busy while we hammer out what our plan is going to be.” Asuna said quietly. “We don’t know what her skill level is, and until we do, well…”  
  
“I don’t think we should invade until after Minako and perhaps Makoto get back from their planets.” Kazuto added, “That will give us a chance to see where Mother stands skill wise, and it will give us perhaps a day or two of not quite downtime.”  
  
“Which we need.” Asuna agreed, with Akihiko nodding along. Asuna looked down for a moment before looking between the brothers. “This is not me accepting the position… but, I don’t like the thought of leaving the Capital in the state it’s in.”  
  
Kazuto wrapped an arm around her shoulders when he noticed that she was biting the inside of her lip.  
  
“I would like to, perhaps, clean up the Capital, once the Dark Kingdom is gone.” Asuna finished.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe: Solar Army Headquarters**  
  
Titania looked up as Tilnel came out of Akai’s room. “Was there any real change?” She asked.  
  
“She said that her name was Selja, and she’s asking after Aoi and a… Sanna?” Tilnel said.  
  
“Sanna must be the other one.” Titania said with a nod. “At least we have actual names for the two Youma now, so that we can help them distance themselves from their captivity and enslavement to the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
“Sanna, Selja and Kayaba Aoi.” Tilnel said with a nod. “We will have to send Sanna and Selja to Yomi, at the very least. We will also have to see if they are willing to help us against the Dark Kingdom or if they want to sit the rest out. I won’t blame them if they choose the latter.”  
  
“Neither would I.” Titania agreed. “Aoi has expressed interest in participating, even if in a support capacity. Due to that, we need to see what she is capable of and what we may need to do to bring her to an acceptable minimum standard.”  
  
“We will need to inform The Captain and The Commander, then.” Tilnel said.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito said nothing as he listened to Tilnel’s report. “I really can’t say I’m surprised.” He said quietly. Kayaba Aoi wasn’t the only one who wanted revenge on the so-called “Queen” of the Dark Kingdom for what had happened.  
  
The other two would also want revenge, but it was going to be slightly harder to hide those two than his mother. Of course, that all depended on if Asuna had been able to restore their memories, of which, Kirito was certain that his bride-to-be had succeeded in.  
  
“All three of them are in good health, as far as Titania and I can tell anyway.” Tilnel finished.  
  
“Do we have names for the other two?” Kirito asked once he was sure that Tilnel was finished with her report.  
  
“Sanna is the green-skinned Youma.” Tilnel replied, “I get the feeling that she _might_ have been a Sylph at one point.”  
  
“And the other?” Kirito prompted.  
  
“The red-skinned Youma’s name is Selja,” Tilnel supplied, “And from what Aoi has said, I believe she was once a Salamander.”  
  
“Then, they must have been taking care of her, before they were all changed.” Kirito mused. “I doubt Asuna-hime can restore the two of them without someone else providing her with extra magic, but I think trying to do so will have to wait until after we’ve razed the Dark Kingdom to the ground, bored a hole into the ground, buried the ashes, and then dug it all up and sent it into the Sun.”  
  
Tilnel nodded in agreement. “It’s not as if a few more weeks as Youma will make it any harder for Asuna to heal the two of them.”  
  
“I wish I was old enough to drink…” Kirito grumbled.  
  
Tilnel giggled, “No, you don’t.” She poked his shoulder, “You really don’t like alcohol, from what Kizmel has told me.”  
  
Kirito sent Tilnel a mild glare in return.  
  


* * *

****

  
“So, they adopted you as their sister?” Titania asked Aoi over lunch.  
  
“Yes, they did.” Aoi agreed, “They were also able to help me keep my mind off of, well, the fact that I was being kept away from my sons.” The woman shrugged, “It wasn’t as if I could really do anything either, it was pretty clear that I’d be killed if I tried anything. And that was _before_ Sanna and Selja started teaching me about magic.”  
  
“Did you figure out what your affinity was going to be?” The Fairy asked.  
  
Aoi shook her head, “We didn’t dare.”  
  
“I see.” Titania pulled a Crystal out of her Mystic Tome. “Here, hold this for me.”  
  
Aoi blinked as she took it, only registering Titania’s casting of a spell faintly.  
  
The Crystal began to glow a dark grey and Titania nodded. “I thought so.” She said. “Both of your sons have a talent for Shadow Magic.”  
  
“And that’s a good thing?” Aoi asked.  
  
“It is indeed.” Titania agreed.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Kirito and Asuna watched as people slowly filed into the Cafe. Aoi had taken to ALO like a natural, quickly learning the mechanics of flying and how to use ALO’s magic system. Watching her cast spells was actually quite scary. Then again, revenge was a great motivator.  
  
That, and her experience as a Youma was probably helping her. And _that_ was something that only Luna and Artemis could help the woman with, and Kirito suspected that even they could only do so much.  
  
Kirito pushed those thoughts from his mind. He did _not_ want to think about what his mother had been forced to do to survive. He waited until Minako and Makoto, who were the last to arrive, to take their seats. “All right, now that we are all here,” he said, glancing around at everyone. “We can get started.”  
  
Asuna gave him a nod when he looked at her and she gestured for him to continue.  
  
“As we all know,” He began. “Persephone has gone between Aincrad and Earth several times now. It stands to reason that the rest of the Guardians _should_ be able to do the same with their own planets. Makoto in particular is probably able to include the Real Alfheim.”  
  
He heard quiet murmurs and cleared his throat. “That said, Minako has requested that she be allowed to take Lux with her when she goes.” Kirito turned his attention to the woman in question. “You may, provided that Lux says yes when you ask her.”  
  
Haruka and Michiru’s oh crap looks were hilarious, not that Kirito let the mirth show on his face. He gave Setsuna a nod when he noticed that she’d place her hands on their shoulder and squeezed hard. She shouldn’t have any trouble keeping those two in line.  
  
Minako nodded in agreement. “Of course.”  
  
“Makoto, if you do end up going to Jupiter, Titania has requested that you bring an Alfheim Sabercat kitten back with you, among whatever other supplies you might pick up while there.”  
  
The brunette looked thoughtful. “Alright, though I will possibly need someone to come with me, seeing as I don’t have access to the Mystic Tome in this life.”  
  
“We can easily set you up with a copy of Alfheim Online, should you wish to rectify that,” Kirito agreed, “Though I doubt you will have time to do so before we move to destroy the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
Makoto nodded in agreement. She understood the reasoning.  
  
“Just tell us when you decide to go.” Kirito continued, “Because we are not going to be making any move to end the War until we have all hands on deck.”  
  
“Could I possibly take Luna with me?” Makoto inquired.  
  
Luna the Goldsmith perked up. “Sure I’ll go.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “Then feel free.” He said, “We are not going to be sending everyone at once, just one or two at a time.”  
  
The rest of the meeting went as usual.  
  
 **June 7, 2025: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
“You are sure you want to do this, Mako?” Usagi asked as Makoto paced.  
  
“No, not really,” Makoto admitted, turning to look at the old friend that they all had confided who they were in. “But I want… no, I _need_ to know. So…”  
  
Yeah, so.” Usagi agreed. “Are you _sure_ that you can handle taking me along with you?”  
  
“I should not have a problem, since going to my planet should be instinctive and take very little magic to accomplish.” Makoto replied after a moment of thought.  
  
“Well, ok.” Usagi replied slowly. “I _am_ going to be holding on rather tightly, I hope you don’t mind?”  
  
“As if your grip could hurt me after I transform.” Makoto shrugged.  
  
“Well, I did warn you.” Usagi said as she watched her friend pull out the pen she usually used to transform into Sailor Jupiter.  
  
“Jupiter Power, Make Up!” Makoto called and her body exploded in white light. When the dazzling light cleared, Sailor Jupiter stood there in Her armored glory. Before Asuna had burst onto the scene, her uniform had looked to be similar to Tinkerbell’s pixie dress.  
  
And while her underlying dress hadn’t changed very much. The skirts were a bit longer then they had been, which Makoto was actually happy about. Over her chest a breastplate in green had appeared, with the symbol of Jupiter in pink on the right side of her chest. There were metal bracers over her white gloves, also in green to protect her forearms. She had green greaves on her legs over armored boots that were mostly green with some pink on the boots. Over the skirt was a second, armored skirt.  
  
“You look nice, Guardian Jupiter.” Usagi complimented her friend as she opened her own tome and equipped the weapon, armor and underlying uniform that she had been told she was going to wear while on the mission, no exceptions.  
  
Regardless of the role she played, Usagi was still under Kirito’s command, and would be going as a representative of their forces. Not to mention they didn’t know what Alfheim’s current situation was. For all they knew, it could be even more dangerous than Aincrad now.  
  
“Thanks, Luna.” Jupiter said with a smile, “Shall we go?”  
  
“We should.” Usagi agreed, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend.  
  
In the next moment, the two women were gone.

* * *

  
  
**Jupiter - Alfheim: Arun**  
  
Mab Oberonsdottir Gloriana was one of several handfuls of the Fairies who had chosen to be placed in stasis early during the previous iteration and had been out of stasis for over four decades now. For the last ten thousand years, Alfheim had been cycling its residents in and out of stasis for as long as the pods held out, with them entering and leaving stasis in stages to maintain a continuity of leadership and administration.  
  
Well, until about thirty years ago, when they had to shut down the last of the stasis facilities and wake everyone who was still there up before the remaining functioning pods failed with their occupants still inside them. They had lost too many people over the last ten millennia to system failures as it was.  
  
She made the call, she had given that order, and she knew that if they could, the Council would have exiled her form Alfheim for it. She still felt that she’d made the right call.  
  
On the other hand, the populace that had lived and died naturally without the benefit of living in and out of stasis loved her for ending that cycle and putting everyone on a more equal footing. The artificial longevity of stasis was no longer a privilege reserved for those of importance.  
  
Of course, that also meant dealing with the ever changing culture every time they came out of stasis. Which was, while annoying, not particularly difficult after all this time.  
  
 _Let’s see,_ she thought as she scanned the messages waiting for her as she walked towards Yggdrasil. _Another proposition of upgrades to YMIR, the Norn AIs once again sending in reports that Earth has advanced to a point where we can make official contact with them, those three really need a hobby, another message from the Naeturvallas about something, probably another complaint or some inane problem, just another usual day._  
  
That was when two armored strangers appeared in the center of the square at the foot of Yggdrasil’s roots.  
  
 _Who are these people?_ Mab wondered as she blinked the dark spots out of her eyes. When she could see again. Mab almost mistook the two for Princess Rauni and Princess Serenity. But they couldn’t possibly be! Both had died in The Fall!  
  
So then, who were these intruders?  
  


* * *

****

  
Everything was familiar as Luna looked around. “I must say,” she said quietly to Guardian Jupiter, “The Captain did a very good job of emulating this place in Alfheim Online.”  
  
“I certainly would not know, Luna, since I haven’t gotten to play that game yet.” Guardian Jupiter replied, “This place is, however, startlingly familiar to me.”  
  
“Perhaps Rauni spent a lot of time here before The Fall?” Luna asked, one hand on the pommel of her dagger.  
  
“That’s the feeling I get.” Jupiter agreed.  
  
“Well, since I’m not exactly fluent in Alvarin, I’ll let you do most of the talking.” Luna said quietly.  
  
“And if they speak to us in Lunarian, which I _can’t_ speak in this life yet?” Jupiter inquired.  
  
“I am fairly competent in Lunarian, being friends with Yuuna kinda helped there” Luna admitted with a smile, “But I don’t expect the people here to speak the Lunarian I learned. This place is not like Aincrad for one. It’s much bigger, so I would expect Lunarian to have drifted quite a bit in the last ten thousand years.”  
  
“And you think that Alvarin hasn’t?” Jupiter asked in amusement.  
  
Luna took a moment to think on that before giving her friend the point. “Regardless, I’m sure we’ll be able to make ourselves understood. It stands to reason that there would be some people here who would have used the stasis pods that Kebechet and Rameses spoke of.” She paused for a moment to think about it. “Though it would not surprise me if they’d stopped using the pods by this point, given what has been said about them failing on Aincrad.”  
  
Guardian Jupiter nodded in agreement. “Looks like the welcoming committee has arrived.” She said quietly, gesturing to the lone Faerie that was approaching them.  
  
Luna turned her attention to the Faerie.  
  
“ _Þekktu sjálfan þig_!” The Faery demanded in Alvarin.  
  
“Alvarin it is,” Luna said wryly to Jupiter. “Not that I can’t tell when someone is demanding that we tell them who we are.”  
  
Jupiter nodded. “The accent is different than Kebechet’s, but it is Alvarin,” she replied. “How do I approach this, Usagi?”  
  
“Just tell them who you are,” Luna replied. “You’re the Guardian of Jupiter. If they ask for proof…” she shrugged. “Persephone had an obvious symbol of her position on hand, so she didn’t have to do anything to prove it when she went to Aincrad.”  
  
“Alright then.” Jupiter agreed. “How is your Alvarin?” She asked after a moment of thought.  
  
“I’ll tell you _after_ you explain to that fine and upstanding young lady who we are and why we are here.” Luna stated, eying the Faerie in question. “She’s getting impatient, and I recognize the position her hand is in. She’s about to either open her Mystic Tome and send out an alarm, or she’s going to open her inventory and grab a weapon.”  
  
“Right then!” Jupiter agreed, bringing her hands up in a hopefully universal sign of not wanting trouble. Then she spoke in Alvarin. “ _Slappaðu af, við erum ekki hér til að valda vandræðum. Ég er Guardian Jupiter og þetta er vinur minn_.” She said slowly.  
  
The Faery in question blinked and then gave Jupiter a skeptical look. It looked like she didn’t believe them. Drat.  
  
“Sannaðu það.” The Faery said pointedly.  
  
“And how am I supposed to do that?” Luna heard Jupiter ask herself.  
  
“Problem?” Luna asked.  
  
“What do you think?” Jupiter hissed, “She told me to prove it.”  
  
“We could try to jog Rauni’s memory?” Luna asked.  
  
“How would that help?" Jupiter asked.  
  
“Would you prefer that I try?” Luna asked curiously.  
  
Jupiter gave her a pleading look.  
  
“Ok then.” Luna gave her friend’s shoulder a pat. “Excuse me, could you introduce yourself please?” She asked in Lunarian. “You may call me Luna.”  
  
The Faery’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Luna, as in the Late Queen’s adviser?”  
  
Luna shook her head. “No,” she replied. “I do know her, as well as Artemis, who is Venus’ assistant, but I’m not her. My name means ‘Bunny of the Moon’ thus Luna.”  
  
“I see… I am Mab, daughter of Queen Titania and King Oberon.” The Faery, Mab said. “How can your companion be Princess Rauni? I know for a fact that she died in The Fall.”  
  
Luna nodded. “So, you’re aware of that, good,” she replied. “Do you have a way to prove… damn it, what is that word? Oh, right! Is there any way she can prove reincarnation or is at least being honest about being the Guardian of Jupiter?”  
  
“…I think YMIR might be able to identify if she is or is not who she says she is, or at least whether or not she’s the Guardian of Jupiter.” Mab looked thoughtful for a moment. “Now, assuming that she is who she says she is, why are the two of you here?”  
  
“It’s more to prove that Alfheim was still here,” Luna admitted. “If it was, find out if it is still inhabited. After that, well… we can figure out where to go from there.”  
  
Mab gestured for the two of them to follow. “Then we should get that done first.”  
  
Luna turned to Jupiter and very quickly gave her a summary. “We need to follow her, she’ll take us to a place where you can prove to her that you are who you say you are.”  
  
Jupiter nodded, falling into step with her friend.

* * *

  
  
**YMIR Terminal**  
  
“Here we are.” Mab said once they’d reached the other side of Yggdrasil. “The YMIR Terminal.”  
  
Before the one claiming to be Guardian Jupiter could step up to access the Terminal, her brother Simba stomped into the room.  
  
“Ok Simba, what is going on here?” Mab asked, glaring at the younger Faery.  
  
“YMIR, you’re going to tell me about these odd accounts that have been showing up in that game of yours for the last year or so, or so help me…” He growled before he noticed his older sister and paused.  
  
Her younger brother, Simba Oberonson Nyx, along with two of their young attendants had decided to join her in the early stasis. Though, before going to sleep, they had made certain that the Royal Sabercats would be cared for until it was time for them to be put in stasis.  
  
It wasn’t as if the two of them didn’t have older siblings that could, and did, handle the day to day goings on of their little kingdom of Alfheim. Now those siblings were actually more likely to be nieces and nephews, since the eldest of their siblings were now long dead. The choice to forego going into stasis and live out the rest of their lives was one that all of those who had been going in and out of stasis had a right to.  
  
“ _Simba_ …” Mab said, “I hope you haven’t been skiving off to play that game of yours.”  
  
The one who had introduced herself as Luna perked up upon hearing his muttering.  
  
Simba turned to her. “No?” He asked. “I always make sure to get my work done before playing…”  
  
“Then what are you grumbling about?” Mab demanded.  
  
“Um…” Simba backed away slightly before regaining his nerve. “You don’t play at all, so why are you even interested?” He shot back heatedly.  
  
“Because I wouldn’t be a very good older sister if I didn’t show at least a passing interest in your hobbies.” Mab pointed out. “Now tell me what’s going on so I can continue with what I was already doing.”  
  
Simba grumbled then sighed. “Fine.” He paused for a moment. “In the last year, strange accounts have been showing up in the archives.” He started to explain, “But we can’t pinpoint where they are coming from.”  
  
Luna started to grin slowly. “Would it help if I said something?” She asked.  
  
“You are?” Simba asked.  
  
“Forgive me,” Luna bowed. “You may call me Luna.”  
  
He nodded. “You were saying?”  
  
“This “game” of yours, what is it?” Luna asked, “Is it a… simulation of the place you live?”  
  
Simba nodded slowly. “It is.”  
  
“Oh, good!” Luna’s smile got a little wider. “Then I know _exactly_ what is happening.”  
  
Mab and Simba shared a look. “Could you explain in more detail please?” Mab demanded.  
  
Luna nodded, “Ok, so the late Queen cast a spell that sent everyone forward, through the Reincarnation Cycle.” She began. “But it wasn’t just the Guardians and her daughter that were sent forward.”  
  
“We follow so far.” Simba said when Luna paused.  
  
“Well,” Luna looked up at Yggdrasil for a moment and then back to the Faeries. “Captain Heathcliff was among those Reincarnated. And he set up two Simulations on Earth, marketed as games. One was a Simulation of Aincrad, which he called _Sword Art Online_ and the other is a simulation of this place, which he called _Alfheim Online_.” She finished. “I heard that a connection between Aincrad and Sword Art Online happened. Apparently Aincrad’s Governor-General was inside Sword Art Online.”  
  
“But Earth is millions of vika away!” Mab exclaimed. “Not to mention the Network is basically shot as far as I know. How is this possible? And- wait, _Aincrad’s still around?_ ”  
  
Luna shrugged. “Yes, Aincrad’s still around, we even have a couple of its residents now on Earth helping out,” She replied. “And no, I don’t know how it’s possible. I’ll ask Heathcliff when we get back to Earth, he _might_ know how, or at least have an idea.” She looked at Jupiter.  
  
Jupiter shrugged, “ _Tanomanai to wakaranai._ ” She said pointedly.  
  
Luna nodded. “You’re right,” she said slowly, showing that the Guardian was in fact, _not_ fluent in Lunarian anymore and was likely translating for Mab and her brother. “We won’t know if we don’t ask at all.”  
  
“Wait… does that mean we can figure out what’s going on?” Simba asked.  
  
“Well, it depends on who you ask, and which accounts are showing up.” Luna said, giving him her full attention. “Can you describe how the Players act?”  
  
“There’s an odd pair, Undine and Spriggan, well, woman claims she’s an Undine, she looks too much like an Alf and…” He shook his head. “Never mind, those two are so sickeningly sweet on each other that I’m surprised I don’t have cavities.” Simba snarked. “Though the two pixies hanging around them that act as if the two are their parents are adorable. And then there is this one group, usually a pair of Salamanders, a boy and a girl, but they’re often accompanied by a Spriggan, sometimes two or three, not to mention this one trio that just love to go poking around and seeing what’s out there. They all seem to have a positive gift for finding trouble, not to mention putting the fear of the Goddesses into some of the more nuisance personalities within the simulation. And others of course.”  
  
Luna snorted several times between giggles. A few moments later she found herself on the ground, rolling around in mirth.  
  
One of Mab’s eyebrows rose. “Are you going to explain what’s so amusing, Miss Luna?” She asked.  
  
It took a moment for the human girl to calm down, but Luna did eventually answer. “Well, first, the Undine, yes, that’s what she chose to play as, no we don’t know why her Avatar is different. Well, she is Lady Asuna the First, Reincarnation of Princess Serenity. The Spriggan is her Consort, Commander Kirito. He is my boss and Heathcliff’s Right Hand Man.” Luna took great care to explain. “The two pixies are two little AI that they adopted in Sword Art Online.”  
  
“Alright, and the other group?” Simba asked.  
  
“The two Salamanders are Silica, a good friend of mine, and Rameses Soulfire.” Luna continued. “He is one of two residents of Aincrad that are helping us, funny story on how he arrived on Earth, by the way. And their ability to find trouble is no surprise. You wouldn’t _believe_ the situations they get into.  
  
“Anyway, the three Spriggans are his adopted sister Kebechet Soulfire, his family adopted her after The Fall. The other two are her older brother, and her niece. Kebechet and her brother are Spriggans in reality, if that helps. And Rameses is originally from Mars. He and his family were on Aincrad when The Fall happened.”  
  
“Okay…” Simba began before pausing.  
  
“You have a question.” Luna stated. “Is this about who Kebechet is?”  
  
“Kebechet would have changed her name, as is tradition on Mars. Do you know what her birth name is? And once you get back to Earth, would it be possible for you to get in contact with Aincrad and get a list of all those who were alive after everything went to Hel and are still alive today?”  
  
Luna shook her head. “I don’t know her birth name,” she admitted. “Her brothers, both biological and adoptive, call her Skuggi, if that helps. And as for getting the rest of the information, we’ll see what we can do. I’m surprised you can’t get a hold of Aincrad.”  
  
Simba snorted. “Well, that narrows it down to about half the Spriggan girls,” he said with amusement before looking more serious. “And our inability to get in contact with Aincrad… the storms surrounding Alfheim knocked our communications out. I know they’re weakening, but…”  
  
“I can give you her brother’s name.” Luna said helpfully.  
  
“That would be very helpful.” Simba deadpanned.  
  
“It’s…” Luna paused to make sure she said it correctly. “Solbjoem Yoruhokōsha, if I remember right. Captain Heathcliff said he is a Royal Guard. He did change his family name to fit in better on Earth after breaking free of captivity.”  
  
“Captivity?” Mab asked.  
  
Luna turned to look at her. “Yes,” she replied. “Apparently he was captured during The Fall and got free on his own. I think they had a recent raid on the forces behind it to rescue any other captives who might still be alive. I wasn’t a part of that, so I don’t know how that went.”  
  
“What does that last name mean?” Mab asked. “You said he translated it into the local language, or simply took a name in the local language, correct?”  
  
Both Luna and Jupiter nodded after Luna translated the Lunarian to Jupiter.  
  
“Næturvalla.” Jupiter said, since she was unlikely to mangle the name. “I met him recently, he’s very professional, kind too. And his daughter is adorable.” She continued in Alvarin.  
  
“Eh?” Mab blinked. “Can you repeat that?” She demanded.  
  
Jupiter complied. “His name is “Næturvalla?” She asked.  
  
Mab opened her Mystic Tome and searched her Contacts.  
  
“What are you doing, Sister?” Simba asked.  
  
“I was friends with him before he went into training, if this Solbjoem Næturvalla is in fact the same person we knew before everything descended into Hel…” Mab said thoughtfully. “He’s the only Næturvalla I know of who held that name back then, but it’s not impossible that there was another in that family with the same name.”  
  
“It would not surprise me,” Luna shrugged, “They might decide to reuse his name if they thought him dead.”  
  
Mab continued to look through her contact list and paused. The girl was right, though it was clear that the girl was saying it to simply not rule that possibility out, rather than believing it herself. Besides, it wasn’t as if him being alive changed everything, and from what she had been told, it wasn’t as if… she had spent the last century of her life, not counting the time in stasis, believing he was dead. And if it _was_ him, then he probably thought the same.  
  
And it wasn’t as if they had made any commitment to each other. From what Luna had said, he’d moved on, just as she did.  
  
She looked up when she felt something poke her. That smile looked like one she’d find on her brother. “What?” She asked Luna.  
  
“Send him a Memo.” Luna said playfully. “He’ll probably find it to be a pleasant surprise.”  
  
“Perhaps later.” Mab agreed. He was still her friend, even if they had both moved on from what they’d had. “Who were the other captives?”  
  
Luna’s gaze turned serious. “Your parents and one more.” The human’s hands balled into fists, which shook. “The third was just a child, one that I haven’t met yet. But Asuna said she was… The Head Blacksmith’s daughter, I think.”  
  
“Epheme?” Mab asked. “Hephaestus' daughter?”  
  
“I think that was her name, yes.” Luna replied slowly. “Your mother also asked that we bring a Sabercat kitten back with us.”  
  
Simba chuckled. “That certainly sounds like mother…”  
  
“Her Majesty did trust her to look after the ‘cats she gave birth to,” Mab said fondly.  
  
“Wait, what?” Jupiter asked when Luna translated for her. “You mean to tell me that Queen Serenity gave birth to…”  
  
Luna shrugged. “I have it on good authority that Princess Serenity was kind of the same way with feathered dragons,” she said.  
  
“Feathered dragons, like the one that hangs around Silica at the shrine?” Jupiter asked.  
  
Luna nodded. “And Pina is descended from her,” she replied. “Don’t know how many generations it is, but...”  
  
Jupiter looked a bit green at that revelation. “And any illusions I had on them is now shattered,” she said. “I swear, they were worse than you are.”  
  
“Yes, they- hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Luna protested.  
  
Jupiter burst out laughing. “You know _exactly_ what that means.” She shot back once she’d gotten herself under control again.  
  
Luna pouted at her friend. “Neh, have you noticed that you are now speaking Lunarian, Jupiter?”  
  
“And this is important how?” Jupiter asked.  
  
“Well, you didn’t seem to understand it a few minutes ago…” Luna smirked.  
  
“Shut up Luna.”  
  
Mab and Simba shared an amused glance. “You said something about Mother wanting a kitten?” Mab spoke up to get their attention back.  
  
“She did.” Luna agreed.  
  
Mab hummed for a moment. “YMIR, scan Guardian Jupiter please.”  
  
[Scanning initiated.] An inhuman voice said.  
  
Jupiter shivered. “That feels so strange!” She exclaimed.  
  
[Scan complete.] The voice echoed. [Identity confirmed. Welcome: Princess Rauni, Guardian of Jupiter.]  
  
“Well, that settles it.” Mab said quietly. “I guess our next stop is the Feline Nursery.”

* * *

  
  
**Feline Nursery**  
  
The moment Luna stepped into the space where all the kittens were, she found herself under a pile of small cat bodies. “Um, help?” She called out to Jupiter, Mab and Simba.  
  
“The Sabercats really seem to like you, Luna.” Mab said with a smirk.  
  
“Well, I like them back, but I need to be able to move too!” Luna almost whined. “Now get the adorable little kittens off me, please?”  
  
The other three laughed, even as they moved to help her.  
  
All the kittens were easily removed from Luna’s chest. All but one, that is. The kitten protested very vocally the moment anyone but Luna tried to move her.  
  
“Well, I was not expecting one of the kittens to adopt me when we first arrived…” Luna said as she got to her feet, the silvery blond kitten held tightly in her arms. “This one needs a name…” Then a thought struck her. “Um, Mab?”  
  
“Yes?” Mab asked turning from one of the other kittens she’d been inspecting. “What is it Luna?”  
  
“How…. How big do Alfheim Sabercats get?” Luna asked nervously.  
  
Mab chuckled. “Fully grown, they reach about the size of the Sabertigers of Aincrad, why?”  
  
Luna tried to imagine a cat that big trying to sit in her lap and failed. “So, these are Big Cats then?”  
  
“Yes.” Mab said. “There was an Alfheim division of the Feline Guard.” The Faery stopped, “Hang on, I’ll get you one of the training kits.”  
  
“Thank you?” Luna called after her.


	37. Chats With Youma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end is closing in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Litli Tígurinn = Little Tiger

**June 7, 2025 Japan - Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
There was a brief flash of light and then Luna and Jupiter were back in the courtyard of the Hikawa Shrine.   
  
“Well.” Luna said after the light faded, “That was fun.” She knelt, putting both kittens on the ground. The silvery blonde kitten twined around her legs for a few moments while the other, which had orange and white coloring, wandered off to explore the Shrine grounds.  
  
“Kind of.” Makoto agreed as she stretched, her Guardian uniform and armor disappearing, leaving her in her civilian garb. “I was nervous right up until YMIR confirmed who I was.”  
  
“I’m still having trouble picturing them as full grown cats.” Luna admitted, “Don’t wander too far, Astennu.” She called to the kitten that had adopted her.  
  
Astennu gave a mew of compliance and stumbled back to her human, purring as she rubbed up against Luna’s legs.  
  
There was a loud mew of distress and the pair looked over to see that Pina had picked up the other kitten and had dropped it in front of Rājakumāri. The kitten squeaked when the larger Sabercat began to groom it, one paw holding the kitten down.  
  
Luna and Jupiter were not the only ones to laugh at the scene.  
  
“So, you both go to Alfheim and come back with two sabercats,” came an amused voice.  
  
Luna rolled her eyes at Rameses. “I was not expecting to be adopted by one.” She grumbled. “I also have a kit to train Astennu to be a Feline Guard.” The blonde paused for a long moment. “I heard that they are supposed to get as big as the Sabertigers of Aincrad… which would make controlling them rather hard once they are fully grown. Mostly because of their size…”  
  
Rameses thought back to when he’d encountered the ‘Tigers of Aincrad. “Yes, they are a little big.” he agreed. “But not as big as the Sabertigers, not that it’s stopped Rājakumāri from showing this one pride who’s in charge.”  
  
“We were only supposed to bring back one…” Makoto said, “I suppose she should just be glad that one or more didn’t also decide to adopt _me_ as their human too. … _This time_ …”  
  
Luna chuckled in agreement, watching as Rajakhumari finished grooming the kitten in her paws.  
  
“So, where’d you get the name Astennu from?” Makoto asked. “That’s not a Japanese name.”  
  
“It’s Egyptian.” Luna explained, “Meaning Moon.”  
  
“You and your naming theme.” Makoto rolled her eyes skyward.  
  
“And what’s wrong with the name I chose?” Luna whined. “I’m not _that_ bad at naming things, am I?” The blonde pouted.  
  
“You seriously need to ask, Usagi-chan?” Rei asked from the door leading into the Shrine.  
  
“Mako-chan~ Rei-chan is so mean to me!” Luna wailed theatrically, “Make her stop~!”  
  
Both Guardians burst into laughter.  
  
Luna grinned through her crocodile tears. She still had it! Her friends hadn’t been laughing nearly enough recently. They _had_ begun smiling more, mostly because Asuna-hime had burst onto the scene but laughter had largely been absent. And Luna prided herself in her ability to make her friends laugh.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito panted as he brought his pair of Shinai back up in a guard. His eyes narrowing as he studied his brother’s stance. He found it impressive that he hadn’t yet lost one of his swords.  
  
His brother was using two instead of one and a shield at the moment. Because _of course_ his brother would also know Dual Blades. But that just meant that his brother could help beat him back into shape, which was _completely_ unfair. But that was _life_ so there was nothing Kirito himself could do about it.  
  
Aki was not actually cheating, he was just _better_. Not to mention older and in better physical shape.  
  
“Are we going to continue?” Aki asked conversationally.   
  
Kirito sent the man a glare. “You do realise that I hate you right now.” He muttered.  
  
Aki chuckled. “Ready to begin again?” His crazy older brother was _enjoying_ this! Kirito just _knew_ it.  
  
Kirito growled, frustrated with himself for not once being able to beat his older brother since their last fight in Sword Art Online. Even when he knew that he should _not_ be. He took a deep breath. “I _will_ beat you again you know.”  
  
Aki laughed. “Not for a while thankfully.” He replied. “But just _letting_ you win wouldn’t help you advance.”  
  
“I know that!” Kirito snapped, lunging at his older brother again.  
  
Aki swept one of his shinai and Kirito again, found himself on the ground. “Perhaps we should stop.” He suggested to Kirito.  
  
“Yeah, perhaps we should.” Kirito agreed. “My irrational frustration certainly isn’t helping things.” He said as he let go of the shinai in his hands. Then he took his older brother’s offered hand and pulled himself up.  
  
“Well, it is certainly not as bad as you thought it would be.” Oberon said. “You say you had just finished the seventy-fifth floor?”  
  
“Yes, that is how high we got.” Kirito replied, taking the towel his brother offered. “And then there is the fact that none of us who were truly trapped are exactly healthy just yet.” He wiped his face of sweat before accepting the water bottle Asuna handed him.  
  
“Even considering that, your skills are certainly better than expected for someone your age,” Oberon noted. “Captain-General Eldurlag is going to love you.”  
  
“I don’t know if I’m happy about that or not.” Kirito grumbled. He’d heard from Lind what happened in the JSDF if your superiors liked you, and what happened if they _didn’t_. Kirito was sure that it wouldn’t be much different. The military was the military, no matter where you were.  
  
And no, he really didn’t want to think about it.  
  
Kirito looked over at his brother when the man hummed. He was frowning at a screen in front of him. “I take it Luna and Jupiter are back?” He asked dryly.  
  
“They are indeed.” Aki replied thoughtfully. “And it seems that one of the kittens has decided to adopt her.”  
  
“Adopt Luna?” Kirito asked, just for clarification.  
  
“Yes.” Aki said, his voice full of mirth.  
  
“Well, _that’s_ not surprising at all.” Kirito said as he knelt to pick up his practice blades. Luna was, well, _Luna_. She wanted to take everything cute home to cuddle with, or spoil if said object happened to be a person. Case in point: Umi.  
  
It was understandably amusing that one of the kittens had decided to do the same. Made even more amusing by the unexpectedness of the event.  
  
“I take it Luna has already gotten into contact with Titania then?” Asuna asked.  
  
“She has.” Aki confirmed.  
  
“Well, now that they are back, we can hammer out the fine details of what we are going to do to the last of the _Sword Wraiths_ and that thing that is behind it.” Kirito said.  
  
It was long overdue.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**  
  
Titania approached Agil, who was sitting with Kathy, “Excuse me, Nephrite?”  
  
Agil turned his attention to her. “That’s not the name I go by anymore, but, did you need something?”  
  
“Oh! Forgive me,” Titania apologized. “I need to get to the... Hikawa Shrine? Luna and Guardian Jupiter have returned from their trip.”  
  
“And you need a lift?” Agil said, turning to his wife. “Alright, Kathy, would you like to come?”  
  
Kathy smiled, “Someone has to keep the Cafe open. I’ll meet this cat when you get back.”  
  
Agil nodded, “Alright then, we shouldn’t be gone long Kathy.”  
  
“Come home soon, Andrew.” Kathy said as she shooed them both off.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Titania hurried up the stairs, she really wanted to see which kitten had been brought back for her to take care of. She almost tripped over the Orange and white kitten that was waiting at the top of the steps. “Woah!”  
  
The kitten staring up at the Faery mewed quietly, and Titaria just _melted._ The kitten was scooped up and cuddled.  
  
“You are… Litli Tígurinn, I think…” Titania mused. And in response, the little kitten bumped their head against Titania’s chest.  
  
Luna knelt down and picked Astennu back up. “How did I know that would happen?” She wondered.  
  
“Because you are the same way with all things cute and cuddly?” Makoto pointed out mildly.  
  
Luna blinked up at her taller friend for a moment before nodding. “That would do it.” She agreed playfully. “That reminds me…” She sidled up to Rameses.  
  
“Need something, Luna?” Rameses asked.  
  
“Yeah, I need tips on how to raise Astennu.” Luna replied the kitten in her arms mewing happily.  
  
Rameses nodded. “I see.”  
  
“Do Sabercats need anything special in their diet?” Luna continued. “And are there any differences between the Aincrad and Alfheim species?”  
  
“Anything special?” Rameses asked and then shrugged. “Cat food can work, so long as it’s the wet kind. I don’t know what they put in the dried kind, but Rājakumāri did _not_ react well to that stuff. Fresh, or reasonably fresh, meat is the best for them.”  
  
“Wet food it is then.” Luna agreed. She opened her Mystic Tome and started a shopping list in a communication window. Then, after a moment, she opened a message that had just come in. “Heathcliff, Commander Kirito and Asuna-hime are on their way.”  
  
“Well, that’s not surprising at all.” Makoto said with a shake of her head. “They’re going to want to know how the trip went.”  
  
“I can’t wait to show them Astennu!” Luna chirped happily, cuddling her new kitten to her chest.  
  
“Usagi…” Makoto spoke up, “You are going to have to find out if Dynamm is allergic or not.”  
  
Luna paled, “Oh no, I hadn’t thought of that!” If he was then her boyfriend wouldn’t be visiting her apartment anymore! “I’d better ask…” Luna whimpered as she tapped Dynamm’s name and sent him the question. “Please don’t be, please don’t be…” she pleaded as Astennu clambered up and draped herself over Luna’s shoulders.  
  
Luna had enjoyed it each time Dynamm had dropped by her apartment. While she _still_ couldn’t bake to save her life, she was getting better at cooking in general.  
  
Thank the Goddesses for Mako-chan for agreeing to give her some more lessons!  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito slipped out of the car and extended an arm to Asuna, ignoring Thalia as she scampered his arm and jumped onto his head, settling with a quiet purr. “Done getting comfortable, Thalia?” Kirito asked rhetorically.  
  
Thalia purred a little louder, causing Asuna to giggle as she got out of the car. “I’d say she is.”  
  
Ēkate made a sulking sound as he jumped out behind Asuna.  
  
Both Kirito and Asuna rolled their eyes.  
  


* * *

****

  
Epheme clutched a few of Heathcliff’s fingers in one hand as she looked around. The number of stairs was kind of intimidating. And the city was very strange, not to mention it smelled very icky. She didn’t like Tokyo, at all.  
  
Even so, she was too young to be allowed to go back to the Moon, or to be allowed to live on her own. And that was without mentioning the Hollows that haunted the Ruined capitol.  
  
Hollows were _supposed_ to be nothing but a myth! It wasn’t fair! She wanted her father! But Papa was dead, and all she had left were the Cook, Head of Security, and a Captain and Big Sis that _didn’t look right!_  
  
Yes, she was sulking and scared. No, she didn’t care.  
  
Her legs were getting tired. How many stairs did they have to climb to get to this place? Deciding that she didn’t want to walk anymore. Epheme tugged on Heathcliff’s hand to get his attention.  
  
“Yes, Epheme?” he asked pleasantly as he came to a stop.  
  
“I’m tired, carry me!” Epheme demanded.  
  
“Epheme…” Heathcliff said before sighing. “Alright then.” He scooped her up and placed the little Leprechaun on his shoulders. “Comfortable?” He asked.  
  
Epheme nodded, “Yes.”  
  
Both Heathcliff and Epheme turned when they heard soft laughter. It was the lady that Heathcliff hadn’t introduced yet. She said something that Epheme could not understand.  
  
Heathcliff laughed under her, “Epheme, this is Rinko, you will be coming to live with her and I. Is that alright?”  
  
“I guess so.” Epheme pouted. She didn’t have much choice in the matter, being all of eight Standard years old. It certainly didn’t help that Epheme couldn’t understand the woman. At all.  
  


* * *

****

  
Rei watched with an amused smile on her face as Heathcliff kept Epheme’s attention on a language primer. “You’re very lucky, Rinko-san.” She said, turning to the only young woman there who didn’t speak at least two languages. “Heathcliff is quite the talented teacher.”  
  
“He really is.” Rinko agreed, turning her attention to the pair. “Which do you suggest I start with? Alvarin or Lunarian?”  
  
“I’d go with Lunarian.” Rei replied as she leaned against the doorway, “Everyone speaks it, unlike Alvarin. Though from what Asuna-hime has said, you’re likely to pick up plenty of Alvarin if you play ALO, since learning makes casting spells easier.”  
  
Rinko nodded slowly. “I see.”  
  
Something new caught Rei’s attention that was coming up the stairs of the shrine. It didn’t feel all that different from her grandfather. To her surprise, Klein appeared, ascending the stairs, with a large, (though not as large as Ēkate or Rājakumāri) rather ugly looking cat.  
  
Klein had Rhett Butler in his arms, and was acting as if the ugly cat was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.  
  
“Klein, what are you doing?” Rei asked, “That has to be one of the _ugliest_ cat’s I’ve ever laid eyes on.”  
  
“I know right?” Klein said with a lopsided grin. “I’m actually wondering if he might be part Sabercat with how large he is.”  
  
Rei blinked silently for a moment, looking between Ēkate and Rhett Butler. “You know, now that I think about it, it really would not surprise me if he was.” She sent him a sideways glance, “You _do_ know who and what that cat is, right?”  
  
“Yup! Of course I do.” Klein said. “I doubt this cat wants anything to do with our enemy though.” He turned his attention completely to Rei. “So, do you have Patrol later?”  
  
“Not today, why?” Rei asked suspiciously.  
  
“Oh, good, I didn’t get that mixed up!” His (very cute) lopsided grin widened. “I'm not either, I was wondering if you’d like to go on a double date with me?”  
  
“I suppose that depends on who else is coming.” Rei said, crossing her arms.  
  
“Oh Dynamm , _of course_ I’ll go!” Rei heard from the left. Ah, so Klein hadn’t come alone.  
  
Rei was silent for a while. “What did you have in mind?”  
  
“Dinner and movie night?” Klein asked.  
  
“Sounds good.” Rei agreed, “Are we going to a theater or not?”  
  
“We can decide that after dinner.” Klein offered.  
  
“Sure, that works.” Rei agreed.  
  


* * *

****

  
“So this is your new cat, Luna?” Dynamm asked, studying the kitten lounging on his girlfriend’s shoulders.  
  
“Yeah, this is Astennu.” Luna said, “I wasn’t expecting one of the Saberkittens to adopt me while we were in Alfheim…” She blushed.  
  
“Eh, it doesn’t matter, especially since I’m in no way allergic to cats.” Dynamm replied with a shrug. “She’s a cute little thing too.”  
  
Luna nodded, blushing. “Yeah, she is.”  
  
“She’s not as adorable as my little sister.” Asuna said suddenly, nearly causing both Luna and Dynamm to jump out of their skins.  
  
“Asuna-sama~! I wish you wouldn’t do that!” Luna half-whined.  
  
“How are you going to keep your senses sharp if I don’t?” Asuna asked with an innocent expression that fooled neither Luna or Dynamm.  
  
“You are very cruel, Asuna-sama, shortening our lives like that.” Dynamm huffed.  
  
Asuna only giggled in response.

* * *

  
  
**June 8, 2025; Dicey Cafe**  
  
“That reminds me, Aki, I have something to show you.” Kirito said as he finished the last his homework and opened a different application on his tablet.  
  
“Oh, and what’s that?” Aki asked, looking up from where he was watching Asuna train Thalia on the stage that had been hastily set up in one corner of the Cafe.  
  
Kirito picked through the pictures Lind and Persephone had been kind enough to send him, trying to pick the best one. “Here.” He slid the tablet sideways so that it was situated between himself and his older brother. “Take a look at these.”  
  
Aki snorted in amusement as he looked through the selection of pictures of both the inside and outside of their “new” ship. “Do we have a pilot?”  
  
“Might need to abscond with one from Aincrad, or Alfheim, depending on where they ended up.” Kirito replied. “Last known location of this one’s pilot was Aincrad, but seeing as how everyone’s Awake… I’m not sure if the pilot survived all of the breakdowns.” Kirito gave Aki a sideways look. “I was planning on sending Persephone to ask Governor-General Nightfallen, but only after we’ve destroyed the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
“And I can ask Makoto-san to check with Mab on Alfheim at the same time.” Asuna said. “Our summer vacation will have been well earned this year.”  
  
Kirito chuckled in agreement. “And on that note, since this crisis is reaching its end…” Kirito paused, looking from his fiancée to his brother. “We’re not going to be able to stonewall Kikuoka for much longer, what do we want to tell him, and the rest of the Government?”

* * *

  
  
**June 10, 2025; Minato Ward: Osa-P Jewelry**  
  
Luna’s head snapped up as something pinged on her _System Awareness_. _‘We really need a better name for that…’_ Luna thought as she opened her Mystic Tome and located her Short Sword. “Naru-chan, stay inside.” She called to her best friend as her weapon appeared at her side.  
  
Why was Osa-P being attacked? Was it because she hadn’t been around for two years? Luna took a moment to send Dynamm an extremely short plea for backup before stepping outside the store.  
  
She almost froze up at the sight of the light blue lion-esque youma with a pink mane and solid red eyes. Luna reached shakily for her short sword. “I hope Dynamm and the rest of them are close by.” She said through gritted teeth as she firmed up her stance.  
  
Luna really didn’t want to deal with this monster on her own. It was just her luck that the rest of the Blacksmith Guild was out testing that Portable Forge that had arrived from Aincrad…  
  


* * *

****

  
The chatter fell silent the moment Klein noticed that Dynamm had a PM open in front of him. “What’s up, Dynamm?” He asked seriously.  
  
“Luna’s sensed a Youma and has gone to confront it.” Dynamm replied as he got up. “We can get there in five minutes, right?”  
  
“Of course.” Klein agreed as he got up. “I’ll go pay, everyone else, get ready.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Luna dodged out of the way of the Youma, her eyes set with grim determination. She didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to fight Youma, but she’d been the closest one so she’d responded.  
  
The Lion Youma roared in her face and Luna was forced to close her eyes and hold her nose. “Eww…” She glared at the Youma, “Watch it, you meathead!” She growled.  
  
She and the Youma both blinked in confusion when something bounced off of the Youma’s nose. A breath mint? What?  
  
“Hey Luna.” She looked up.  
  
“Dynamm!” Luna smiled as her boyfriend placed himself between her and the Youma. “I’m so glad that you are here!”  
  
“As if I wouldn’t come save you.” Her scruffy swordsman gave her a charming smile.  
  
The Youma roared in rage again, and all Dynamm’s Guildmates began pelting the Youma with more breath mints. It was enough to make Luna giggle.  
  
The Youma ended up swallowing a few, and, much to Luna and Dynamm’s amusement, it almost choked on several.  
  
Dynamm took the opportunity to attack the Lion with a _Slant_ attack, causing the Youma to fall to dust since it was distracted by the mints it was choking on.  
  
Luna jumped into Dynamm’s arms. “My Hero,” she whispered.  
  
“So, you _really_ don’t like dealing with the Youma, do you?” Klein asked after a long moment, mostly to allow Luna the chance to collect herself.  
  
“That’s the understatement of the century, Klein.” Luna drily replied, not moving from where she was safely ensconced in Dynamm’s arms. “It’s not that I _can’t_ deal with them, because I can.” Luna glared at the ground, “It’s that I _don’t want to_.”  
  
“But you will if needed,” Dynamm said soothingly.  
  
Luna nodded. “And I _will_ , because if I’m the closest, I’m the one who needs to deal with it… like today.” She sighed, “I’d rather be in the forge.”

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Mistress of Illusion’s Massage and Spa**  
  
“Alright Rachne, do you know what you’ll be doing today?” Yomi asked as they stood in the back of Yomi’s Massage Parlor, hashing out just what the other Youma’s job would be.  
  
Rachne nodded, her bright, curly red hair bouncing with the motion. “I’m going to be your secretary, helping Homura where necessary.” Rachne’s more human body had a ridiculously large chest and large, doe-like blue eyes. “And how much coffee I get later depends on how well I am able to work.” Which was why the Spider Youma found herself _frustratingly sober_.  
  
“Exactly.” Yomi agreed, “I will allow you to take some of the Energy I collect, but until we figure out exactly how much more I need to collect, we aren’t going to be operating on full stomachs.”  
  
“How do you do it then?” Rachne asked curiously.  
  
“I take a little from each customer, since I am only gathering Energy for myself, and now you as well.” Yomi explained patiently. “As such, we don’t need to drain a lot of energy from everyone who comes through the door. I’m just thankful that my daughter doesn’t need energy herself, and can eat normal food.”  
  
“So, what, you take just enough for the customers to feel relaxed?”  
  
Yomi nodded, “The Exact amount depends on if the customer is suffering from insomnia, how bad the case is, and how long they’ve tried to deal with it on their own. I’ll show you where I keep the extra canisters.”  
  
Rachne nodded slowly, very glad that she had decided to run away from the Kingdom.

* * *

  
  
**Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito sat back as he finished his homework. “So, I think that it’s high time that we took the fight to them.” He said, looking over his tablet as Asuna as he put it to one side.  
  
“All the Shittenou are dead.” Asuna agreed, “I don’t want to put this off any longer than we really have to.”  
  
“That was my thought as well.” Kirito leaned back into the couch he was sitting on. “Who are we taking, and who will want to go?”  
  
“Well, the Guardsman will want to come, and we’ll need him to get there, unless you would rather use the D-Point in the Arctic?” Asuna said with a thoughtful expression. “Kizmel is coming, as she is one of my bodyguards and will insist on it.”  
  
“I’m pretty sure we can include the Guardians as well this time, since we are planning for this to be the final confrontation.” Kirito said as he took notes. “So far, that’s eleven, counting Hathor, Nakama and Moira.” He paused, “Assuming that Moira wouldn’t rather be watching from the _Time Gates_ that is.”  
  
“And that we can trust Hathor and Nakama to point their magic at the enemy instead of us.” Asuna agreed. “I have faith that Minako can keep the pair pointed in the right direction.”  
  
Kirito nodded. “Aki will want to be there, and is likely to insist on it, so that’s twelve…”  
  
“Klein and The Immortals.” Asuna said. “That’s nine more, assuming that Boxy decides to bow out, given his pacifistic leanings.”  
  
“That’s twenty-one, about half of a full raid, twenty-two, should Boxy decide that he wants to come…” Kirito paused. “Rameses and Kebechet will probably want to come, as will Oberon and Titania. They were there when The Fall happened, they would want to see this brought to an end and have closure from it. What do you think? Should Rameses and Kebechet be allowed to come?”  
  
Asuna looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure, what about part of the Golden Apple?” She asked in a thoughtful tone. “I know that Ran and Merida are benched until further notice for medical reasons.”  
  
“The Black Cats are also a possibility.” Kirito brought up. “And Lind will want to be there this time.”  
  
Asuna nodded thoughtfully. “Grimlock isn’t going to want to come, and Ducker isn’t trusted to not write a check his body can’t cash,” she noted. “Besides which, he seems to be positively thriving under Liz’s management.”  
  
“So that’s what, twelve more?” Kirito asked, “Not counting Lind’s people?”  
  
Asuna nodded, “That’s thirty-three or four then. I think we should leave Rameses and Kebechet behind, since we _are_ going to be going after a Sword Wraith.”  
  
Kirito nodded, “They may know how to fight, but I don’t think they are up to what we need, at least right now.” He paused to think about it. “Godfree and his team might want to be there, that’s… six more?”  
  
Asuna nodded, “And some of the Oranges might like to get a shot too.”  
  
“Rosalia and her Titans?” Kirito asked slowly.  
  
Asuna nodded. “We just have to remind them that they get to loot the place, and encourage them to even take the things that are nailed down.”  
  
Kirito smirked, “So that’s eight more… That’s forty-eight.”  
  
“A full Raid Team.” Asuna agreed, “Let’s hope we can pull off another miracle.”


	38. Home Coming Castles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica goes home to Nerima and Minako and Lux explore a Castle.

**June 12, 2025 - Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Silica bowed low to Rei, “Thank you so very much for letting me stay here, and teaching me about Falconry and being a Miko, Rei-sensei. It has been a pleasure learning under you.”  
  
Rei smiled. “Think nothing of it Silica, you’ve been a joy to teach.” The Guardian of Mars said, “In fact, I might actually open a class, I enjoyed it that much.”  
  
Silica nodded, “I’m sure that there are a few of us who would rather help you than fight, if you would like for me to pass word along the grapevine.”  
  
“Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you, Silica.” Rei nodded, “Maybe I will see you at the next important meeting?”  
  
“I would count on that.” Silica replied, looking over her shoulder as she turned to the stairs. “Pina, it’s time we left.” She called to her partner.  
  
Pina landed gracefully on Silica’s shoulder and nuzzled her cheek.

* * *

  
  
**Nerima Ward: Ayano Residence**  
  
Silica smiled when the bus came to a stop. “We’re almost home Pina.” She said to the disguised dragon sitting on her shoulder as she got off the bus. “Just a five minute walk left.” She very carefully ignored the people staring at her for the illusioned dragon on her shoulder. An apparently tame raven may seem odd to everyone, but not as odd to them as what they would see if they could see under the illusion.  
  
Compared to a dragon, albeit one that could rest comfortably on her shoulders, would make a raven seem positively mundane in comparison. Sure, a raven was still strange, but she was still getting less strange looks than she would if they hadn’t illusioned Pina at all. A raven was much easier to explain then a dragon after all. Silica was just thankful that she wouldn’t have to keep Pina illusioned in the house, though, since Captain Heatcliff had thought to call ahead and give her parents a warning that she was bringing a new pet home. Pina was not a pet, and her parents did know, she thought. Of course, that was a few months ago and a lot has happened since, so she may be wrong about that.  
  
Pina meeting her namesake was going to be completely hilarious. She was very much looking forward to Pina the Cat meeting Pina the Feathered Dragon. The budding Beast Tamer and Fire Mage just hoped that her parents wouldn’t freak out too much before she got the chance to explain.  
  
And to explain why she’d been staying at the Hikawa Shrine for so long.  
  
It did not actually take five minutes to get to her house from the Bus Stop. Silica smiled as she came to the front gate of her house, her father might be a scientist, but her mother was a martial artist, who held lessons in the Dojo that they had on the property.  
  
Though, if anyone asked what her house looked like, Silica would say that it looked a lot like the Tendou’s house from _Ranma One Half_. Her house had a wooden front gate with a slanted roof over it. Said gate was attached to a tall wall that enclosed the entire property. She lived in a large two story, traditional Japanese house with a blue roof.  
  
The Dojo where her mother taught a number of styles of martial arts to the right of the front door through a gate in the second fence that was mostly used by students. There was a sliding door in the living room that led to the Dojo from the house as well.  
  
There was a side yard to the left of the house with a large Koi pond, and Silica was rather proud of the fact that it was _her house_ that had been used in the live action Ranma Special.  
  
As such, her house had six bedrooms, three small bedrooms and one large bedroom were on the upper floor and there were two more bedrooms on the ground floor. Her mother and father slept in the large downstairs bedroom and Silica herself slept in the large bedroom on the second floor.  
  
Ayano Kasumi, her mother, had turned the second downstairs bedroom into her office for the Dojo and her father had turned one of the upstairs bedrooms into his home office, where he kept important documents from his work.  
  
Across from her parents’ bedroom was the kitchen where her parents took turns cooking. Next to her mother’s office to the right was the Japanese style bathroom with the furo and changing area, and to the left was the dining and living room. Under the stairs was the closet where they kept all their coats.  
  
Silica was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed after so long. She walked through the open gate and made her way into the house. “I’m home,” she called, looking to the stairs when she heard movement from the upper floor.  
  
“Keiko! It’s so good to have you home again!” Ayano Kasumi said as she descended the stairs. “How was your stay at the Hikawa Shrine?”  
  
“I had fun learning how to be a Miko from Rei-sensei, Mama.” Silica chirped happily. “Where’s Pina?”  
  
“Oh, you know her,” Kasumi said with a roll of her eyes. “That cat is sulking in your room. She wasn’t too pleased when you said that you were going to the Hikawa Shrine for a while.”  
  
Silica paled at the thought, “I hope she didn’t take it out on my sheets.”  
  
“She didn’t.” Kasumi reassured her daughter gently. “Now, if I remember right, we have a new family member?”  
  
Silica nodded. “Mama, where’s Papa?”  
  
“I think he might still be at work.” Kasumi replied, putting a deceptively delicate finger to her chin in thought. “I was just changing out your sheets and airing out your room in preparation for your return.” Her mother sent her a questioning look. “Now that you are home, are you going to resume lessons with me?”  
  
“I was actually going to ask you about that.” Silica said, putting one hand behind her head. “Aino Minako-san wants to give me some pointers. Do you think we could use the Dojo for that?”  
  
“Assuming that I get to meet this woman first, I don’t see why not.” Kasumi agreed. “I was about to get started on dinner when you arrived.”  
  
Silica perked up, “Can,” She stopped herself, “ _May_ I help you?”  
  
“Of course you may.” Kasumi said, ushering her daughter into the kitchen. “And we can surprise your father.” They started getting pots and pans out of the various cupboards. “Do you want to explain your new friend to me now, or would you rather wait until your father gets home?”

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Carefully, Kirito composed his announcement. It wasn’t going to be very long, but that wasn’t what was important. He needed to pick his words carefully, which was why this was taking far longer than he originally thought it was going to.  
  
For the moment, he left the recipient space empty, because it was going to take far longer to add the individual names than it was to write his message. He’d already replaced the subject title several times, and he _still_ wasn’t happy with it.  
  
 _TO:  
FM: Kirito_  
  
 _SUBJECT: Boss Raid_  
  
 _Attention!_  
  
 _Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoicite, and Kunzite have all been disposed of. It is time for us to take our fight to our enemy!_  
  
 _The first Raid Meeting will be held on the 14th. I will see you there._  
  
 _Commander Kirito_  
  
Sighing in frustration, Kirito started to add names to the ‘to be sent to’ area. Why did words fail him so often?

* * *

  
  
**Nerima Ward: Ayano Residence**  
  
“Mama, I’m going to see if Pina will forgive me.” Silica said once she was sure she wasn’t needed in the kitchen anymore.  
  
“Don’t take too long, or our surprise for your father will be ruined.” Ayano Kasumi reminded her daughter.  
  
“Yes, Mama.” Silica nodded as she headed for the stairs.

* * *

  
  
Softly, Silica closed the door to her room. “Ok Pina, we can take that collar off of you.” She said as Pina climbed off of her shoulder and onto her bed.  
  
Pina churred happily as Silica slid the collar over her neck. The light blue Feathered Dragon shook herself and flexed her wings happily.  
  
There was a loud meow and Silica’s Calico cat, for whom the blue feathered dragon had been named, was on the bed, glaring heatedly at Pina. Pina the Calico was actually smaller than Pina the Feathered Dragon. And Silica had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing at the spectacle.  
  
Pina the Calico hissed at Pina the Dragon, with an arched back and fur standing on end to make herself look bigger.  
  
Pina the Dragon just gave Pina the Calico a curiously confused glance. Was there a reason that Her Silica’s other Familiar was acting jealous? Pina the Dragon stretched her wings out fully in a full body stretch before jumping into the air and landing on Silica’s window sill, next to her desk.  
  
Silica scooped up Pina the Calico and started to pet her. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long, but I met someone really cool Pina, perhaps you’ll get to meet him soon! His name is Rameses…”  
  
Pina the Calico yawned, settling in to get her rightful attention. Her Human was home, _good_!  
  
Silica rolled her eyes at how her cat was behaving. “Let’s head downstairs, Papa might be home soon.” She turned to the dragon by her window. “You coming Pina?”  
  
Pina the Blue Feathered Dragon jumped off of her window seat and glided over to land on Silica’s shoulder.  
  


* * *

****

  
Ayano Tetsuhiko knelt down and pulled his shoes off before retrieving his house slippers. “Kasumi, Keiko, I’m back.” He called.  
  
“Welcome home, dear.” Kasumi greeted as she came out of the kitchen. “Keiko is in her room.”  
  
“So, she finally came home then?” Tetsuhiko asked.  
  
Kasumi nodded. “I’m sure we are going to hear about that boy she was acting as translator for too.” She said with a knowing grin.  
  
Tetsuhiko smirked in agreement, “I’d like to properly meet this boy eventually.” He said.  
  
“Oh yes.” Kasumi concurred. “Our daughter is growing up so fast…”  
  
“Not so fast that she still doesn’t need us.” Tetsuhiko said as their daughter Keiko came down the stairs. “And here she is.”  
  
“Hello Pina.” Kasumi cooed to the cat sized blue dragon.  
  
Pina the Dragon Churred happily, though Keiko’s face went bright red.  
  
“Pina!” Keiko hissed, only for Pina the Dragon to ignore her and start grooming Keiko’s hair. Keiko groaned.  
  
“What’s the matter Keiko-chan?” Kasumi asked.  
  
“It’s nothing you can really help with.” Keiko said, “See, I can _understand_ Pina, she talks to me.”  
  
“A la Doctor Dolittle?” Tetsuhiko asked curiously.  
  
“Yes.” Keiko replied. “And most of the time, I don’t mind.”  
  
“But?” Kasumi asked as she scratched behind Pina’s ears.  
  
“Pina has… _opinions_ , shall we say…” Silica said with a shrug, ignoring Pina’s hurt look.  
  
Pina chirred.  
  
“No Pina,” said Keiko. “Besides, I need to get used to being home before I can invite anyone here.”  
  
Pina gave a cry.  
  
Keiko rolled her eyes. “I know you ship us, but I don’t know him well enough.”  
  
Pina’s huff sounded rather sarcastic.  
  
“What was that?” Tetsuhiko asked curiously.  
  
“Hm? Oh, Pina was complaining about how my new friend Rameses isn’t here.” Keiko said. “He’d need permission to live here. His sister too, though she has an older brother that she could live with.” Keiko continued.  
  
“So, is Rameses this new family member you were talking about?” Kasumi asked, “Don’t go making us grandparents _too_ soon please.”  
  
Keiko stared at her mother for a moment. _“MAMA!”_ she screeched. “It’s not like that!”  
  
Kasumi and Tetsuhiko laughed at their daughter’s expression.

* * *

  
  
**Dicey Cafe**  
  
Sasha pushed the door open and was pleased to see that the Cafe wasn’t very busy. Checking her watch, Sasha noticed that she was actually a few minutes early. “Hey Agil.” she called as she made her way to the bar and sat down on one of the stools. Sasha slipped her backpack off of her shoulders and placed it on the stool next to her, opening the flap.  
  
“Hey, Sasha, how are you?” Agil asked.  
  
“Pretty good actually.” Sasha replied as she started digging around in her backpack, pulling out first a pair of books and then what seemed like a stuffed animal. “What kind of desserts do you have?”  
  
“We have Flan.” Agil replied.  
  
“Flan will do.” Sasha smiled as she set the stuffed animal on the countertop. “Two orders please.”  
  
“Coming right up.” Agil replied.  
  
“Thanks Agil.” Sasha smiled brightly. “Now, Kero-chan, what can you sense about this place?” She asked, turning her attention to the stuffed animal.  
  
Agil didn’t even pause when he heard the stuffed animal answer. “I sense a lot of strange magic in the air, Sakura.”  
  
“That’s because this place is used as a meeting place for a lot of magical people.” Sasha replied. “Thank you Agil.” She said turning to look up at the huge man.  
  
“Who is this?” Agil asked, gesturing to Kero-chan as he put the second Flan down in front of him.  
  
“This is Keroberos, The Guardian Beast of the Seal.” Sasha said. “This is his small form, and he’s one of my protectors as the Mistress of the Sakura and Clear Cards.” She explained.  
  
“You know that Kirito is going to want to know how your cards work.” Agil said.  
  
“I know, I’ve been preparing a report for him.” Sasha nodded.  
  
“Kero-chan, this is Agil.” Sasha continued, “He’s our resident merchant.”  
  
“Pleased to meet ya.” Keroberos said as he picked up a spoon and began to stuff his face.  
  


* * *

****

  
“I’m very glad that the day is over.” Kirito said as he held the door for Asuna.  
  
“Do you really hate school that much, Kirito-kun?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Nah, I really don’t. I’m just glad that the day is over. That means that I get to spend the rest of my time with _you_.” Kirito said. “Especially since we are in different classrooms.”  
  
Asuna blushed brightly. “Chamer.” She said, kissing his cheek.  
  
"Of course, Asuna-hime." Kirito agreed easily.  
  
Asuna laughed as she led him to the bar, where Sasha was waiting for them. “Good afternoon, Sasha-sensei.”  
  
“Good afternoon, Asuna-sama, Commander.” Sasha replied. “I have a gift for you.”  
  
“A gift?” Kirito asked curiously.  
  
Sasha nodded, petting the head of an obviously magical construct that looked like a stuffed animal. “This here is Keroberos. I _think_ SAO would have classified him as my familiar?”  
  
“What kind of abilities does he have?” Asuna asked.  
  
“Well, he can shapeshift.” Sasha said, “This form is what I would call his Power Saving form.”  
  
“Wait, you support him with magic?” Kirito asked.  
  
Sasha nodded. “I do. Unfortunately, I have some tests coming up, or I’d volunteer for the Raid. I _can_ however, lend you Kero here.”  
  
Keroberos put the spoon down. “That was some good Flan. Thank you.” He said to Agil.  
  
Agil gave him a nod.  
  
“So, I heard from Shivata that you use a different style of magic?” Kirito asked, moving the conversation along.  
  
“I expected him to say something, and it’s not as if I was actually trying to keep it a secret.” Sasha said with a careless shrug. She turned back to her backpack and pulled out two hardcover bound books. Carefully undoing the latch, she opened the books for Kirito and Asuna to look at. “Using these cards I can call on the Spirits inside them to do a great many things.”  
  
“I expect a report on what they can do.” Kirito told her.  
  
Sasha nodded. “I’ve been drafting a report since you sent us to investigate Mugen Academy.” She said. “Ashley also has hours and hours of video, documenting when I was first learning to use them. I’ll make sure to include copies of the footage.”  
  
“Wonderful.” Kirito said with a smile. “Can I expect to get it after the Raid?”  
  
“Not sure when, but yes.” Sasha agreed. “I need to go see Ashley about the footage anyway. I should be able to get you the finished report by the beginning of the Summer Break at the latest.”  
  
“Then I look forward to getting your report.” Kirito said.

* * *

  
  
**Chiyoda: Kashiwazaka Residence**  
  
Minako took a deep breath before knocking resolutely on Lux/Kuro’s front door. It was the time and day they’d agreed on to go to Magellan Castle.  
  
Lux, because she was blonde at the moment, opened the door and quickly shut it behind her. “If we are going, we need to leave now.”  
  
“Are your parents objecting?” Minako asked.  
  
Lux gave her crush a look of long suffering. “What do you think?”  
  
Minako sighed. “Alright then, follow me and we’ll get out of here.” She led Lux away from the younger girl's house. Once she was sure they were far enough away, Minako pulled out a yellow pen with a star on top. "Are you ready to go?"  
  
"Yes." Lux replied. "Let's go please?"  
  
Minako nodded. "Venus Power, Make Up!" Minako's body glowed and a moment and Guardian Venus was standing in Minako's place.  
  
Lux pulled the Armor she was given out of her Inventory. “Will you help me with this?”  
  
Venus smiled as she took a step forward to help. “We’ll leave as soon as this is finished.”

* * *

  
  
**Venus: Magellan Castle**  
  
The corridor was deserted, until there was a flash of light and a pair of young women appeared as if from nowhere.  
  
The dust was thick, but very quickly began to clear as soon as the magic of the structure sensed that Guardian Venus has once again stepped foot in the mighty castle that had been gifted to her by Queen Serenity.  
  
“Well,” Venus said into the silence, “This place doesn’t _seem_ to be in disrepair…”  
  
Lux looked around, “Then again, this seems to be the entrance hall, who knows what kind of condition the rest of the castle will be in, right?”  
  
Venus hummed in agreement. “It will probably take more than just this trip to map the entire place, it’s huge, from what I remember.”  
  
“Are we looking for anything in particular?” Lux asked.  
  
“No, this is a preliminary scouting mission.” Venus replied. “I know that everything here belongs to me, but I’m sure there are other people who could, and can, make better use of what’s here than I can.” She smiled when she turned back to Lux, “But that is for later, and assuming that we will find anything that can be of use.”  
  
“Not to mention anything salvageable.” Lux agreed. She took a couple of sniffs. “The air is musty and stale.”  
  
“Most likely because I haven’t been here in forever, but the longer we are here, the more the air should clear.” Venus said, turning to the younger blonde. “Since that’s what reportedly happened on the moon, with Asuna-hime being there.”  
  
Lux nodded as she followed Guardian Venus down the hallway. “I can’t believe I missed _both_ trips…” She grumbled.  
  
Venus gave the girl a smile. “What were you doing that caused you to miss them?”  
  
“I don’t remember anymore.” Lux said quietly. “I just know that I was doing something with my mother.”  
  
“Reconnecting with your parents is also important though.” Venus pointed out. “I plan to take mine out to eat once the Dark Kingdom is taken care of.”  
  
“Here’s hoping that _that_ will be the end of our problems…” Lux sighed.  
  
Venus gave the younger woman a sympathetic look and patted the girl’s shoulder. “You know that our luck isn’t that good.”  
  
Lux grimaced as she nodded in agreement. “I do…”  
  
“On a happier subject, how is your training in being Kirito’s double going?” Venus asked.  
  
“Fair enough,” Lux admitted. “Kebechet has been providing me tips, as she does have a Shadow Affinity and more experience with using certain magics. I’ve been able to reduce the size of my chest and to give my physical features more of a resemblance to him, but changing my apparent gender and giving my voice a more masculine timbre is still out of my reach. I can get it close, but there’s always a contralto element to it.”  
  
Venus nodded. “That sounds like the sex change is going to take a bit,” she noted.  
  
Lux nodded, “I knew this would be hard when I decided that I would be his double.” She took a deep breath, “But so far, even with the difficulty, it has been… kind of fun, actually. Impersonating his personality and mannerisms is going to be hard, though.”  
  
“I have, well Inanna had, years of training to be Serenity-hime’s body double.” Venus said, “Asuna-sama’s personality is actually not that far off. My point is, that it is going to take you a long time to get all of Kirito’s mannerisms down well enough that people will mistake you for him. Perhaps after the Dark Kingdom has been vanquished, I can give you some pointers.”  
  
Lux perked up as they came to a locked door. “I’d like that a lot, thanks!”


	39. Castle Raid and Destruction of the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minako's Castle is in better shape than she thought it would be.

**Magellan Castle**  
  
[Welcome Princess Inanna, Guardian of Venus.] said a computerized voice after Guardian Venus had placed her bare palm on the palm reader and had her identity verified.  
  
“Hello Ninshubur.” Venus replied. “I’d like to enquire about the state Castle Magellan is in.”  
  
[The Castle has been in a state of disrepair for a while, Inanna.] The AI, Ninshubur stated blandly as a hologram was generated. It was a young man that looked much like Kunzite had, with white hair cropped short and brilliant sea-blue eyes. “It might be possible to restore most everything, but that could take years, since I have to do it all myself.”  
  
“Aincrad is in need of supplies, Ninshubur.” Venus said, “And my allies as well.”  
  
“This young woman you brought with you?” Ninshubur asked.  
  
“Is one of them yes.” Venus confirmed.  
  
Ninshubur hummed thoughtfully as he scanned Lux. “Behind these doors is the Armory, there should also be extra beacons to go with the armor and weapons.” The AI said. “It’s a toss-up if any will activate, but you can never have too many. Just don’t take them all, Inanna.”  
  
“Oh, I won’t, don’t worry about it.” Venus reassured him. “Though, with the network in the shape it’s currently in… It might be a good idea to turn all but one off.”  
  
“I will see to it, Inanna.” Ninshubur agreed. “I’d like to start refurbishing this place as soon as possible.”  
  
“You may start after Lux and I leave, so that we don’t get in your way.” Venus said with a smile. “Then you can show me your progress after the Dark Kingdom has been taken care of. It shouldn’t be too much longer.” The Guardian frowned for a moment as she thought about something. “Start with the most important systems, and then when I get back, we can discuss what order the non-essential systems should be put in.”  
  
“Understood Inanna.” Ninshubur bowed. “The armory is full, take as much as you need, though I’m not sure what kind of condition everything is in.”  
  
“We need not worry about that, we have several Blacksmiths that can bring anything we take from the Armory back to working condition.” Venus replied. “You can take us on an in depth tour of the castle later.”  
  
Ninshubur nodded as the doors to the Armory opened, “It is as you say.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Lux whistled softly as she looked at the stacks and stacks of weapons and armor. “Wow, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen this many weapons… even in a museum…”  
  
“Well, we can’t ask Aincrad to keep supplying us, and we can’t do the same with Alfheim either, because the people living in those places need their supplies just as much if not more so than we do.” Venus replied. “I kind of figured that we could use mine and the others’ Castles to outfit the Army, as well as using whatever was found on the moon.”  
  
Lux nodded. “That makes sense.” She agreed. “And while the supply may not be infinite, it’s better than having to rely on Aincrad and Alfheim… Especially since we have no idea what the political climate in Alfheim is like at the moment. Makoto-san might have set off a powder keg situation for all we know…”  
  
“Yeah, who knows if that’s exploded or not yet…” Venus agreed. “To be a fly on the wall… But I think it’s much safer that we aren’t there… I’m glad that Mako-chan was able to get there.” She continued. “On the other hand…”  
  
Lux shrugged, “So, got any idea what it is that you want to bring back with us?”  
  
“I was hoping to find a few things for Sakura’s kids, and maybe some supplies for Liz and her people.” Venus said. “So that the kids don’t have to sneak past their parents.”  
  
Lux bit her lip as she nodded. The kids may know how to use the short swords, but Lux was pretty sure that they weren’t even able to get a license for a bokken yet. “We need to be careful about giving them out. I’m not sure when they will be able to get a license to carry a bokken or Shinai.”  
  
“I’m sure it will be fine, as long as they don’t go looking for trouble and keep them hidden in storage they’ll be fine.” Venus replied, careful not to wave Lux’s concern off as if she was worrying over nothing. Kids, and teens, for that matter, could be very stupid about these things. “I will, however, remember to tell Kirito that he needs to remind the kids of the rules.”  
  
Lux sighed in relief as she opened her Inventory and pulled out one of the boxes that had been emptied for them. Together she and Venus started emptying the Armory of anything and everything that could be useful.  
  
Lux ran out of boxes before they were even to the halfway point. “Do you think this will be enough, Guardian Venus?” Lux asked as she used a marker to write what was in the last of the boxes and replaced it in her Inventory.  
  
“I’m sure it will be, for the moment anyway.” Venus reassured her partner.  
  
Lux nodded. “Does that mean that we are finished then?”  
  
Venus looked up at the ceiling for a moment, deep in thought. “I think we need to see if there are any textiles that survived. Depending on their quality, Tomoyo could make use of them and we can always come and retrieve them later.”  
  
“All right then.” Lux agreed, following Guardian Venus out of the Armory.  
  


* * *

****

  
The Quartermaster’s Inventory was in slightly better condition as the Stasis spell hadn’t quite failed yet. Lux carefully studied the bolts of fabric where they lay, not touching them for fear that they would fall to dust should she do so.  
  
“Is there room in your Storage to take some of these?” Venus asked from where she was standing by the door.  
  
Lux sighed, “I wish I had an Appraisal Skill.” She said as she stood back up. “I have room, but I dare not touch anything, especially since I don’t have a pair of gloves to wear.”  
  
“Can you put them in storage without touching them? Or maybe in a box?” Venus continued.  
  
“All the ones I brought are full from our trip to the Armory.” Lux replied. “Unless there are some boxes here that could be used? I have plenty of space for more boxes.”  
  
“Well, let’s see, though if we even find one such box I’d count us as lucky.” Venus mused.  
  
“In my experience there’s no such thing as luck.” Lux quipped back.  
  
Venus laughed heartily at that. “Where’d you dig up that old fossil?”  
  
Lux smothered a giggle. “Let’s not get into a Quoting War.”  
  
Venus hummed in agreement as she pulled open a cupboard. “I think I have found what we are looking for.”  
  
“More boxes?” Lux asked, moving to Venus’ side.  
  
“There are a few in here, but I have no way of knowing if the Enchantment that was originally on them is still active or not.”  
  
“Even if it isn’t, we can still make use of the boxes.” Lux pointed out.  
  
“Oh, I know that,” Venus replied as she pulled one down. “I would love it if they all were still active, but there is nothing stopping us from using them, even if the Enchantment is gone so there’s no point in speculating.”  
  
“What about gloves, and a way to clean the fabric?” Lux asked.  
  
“Everything should be here.” Venus remarked, “Perhaps in another cupboard?”  
  
“We can look in a few minutes.” Lux decided.  
  
"Alright then, Lux-chan." Venus agreed.  
  
Lux blushed brightly as she turned to watch Guardian Venus go back to looking through the cupboards.  
  


* * *

****

  
Lux filled one box, as carefully as she could, with the textiles. And then it was time to leave.  
  
“Alright, Venus, there is still space in my Inventory, but if you feel it is best that we get back to Earth, I’ll not argue.”  
  
“I know you do.” Venus replied, “But we are holding up Asuna-hime’s and Kirito’s plans every second we linger.”  
  
Lux bowed her head. “Alright then.” Lux blushed as she stepped close to Venus and put her arms around her.  
  
“Ready to leave?” Venus asked after a moment, wrapping her arms around the younger woman.  
  
“Yes.” Lux said.  
  
In the next moment, the pair were gone.

* * *

  
  
**Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Kirito was standing there in the front courtyard, waiting for the two of them to arrive. “Welcome back, Venus, Lux.” He greeted a smile fighting to grace his face.  
  
“Commander.” Lux said, pulling away from Guardian Venus swiftly.  
  
“So, we are meeting everyone here I take it?” Venus asked in amusement.  
  
“No actually, the room here is too small.” Kirito replied, “There is a van at the foot of the stairs that we will be taking to the Survivor School.” He said as he strode passed the two women. “Asuna-hime and the rest will be waiting for us there, we are the last few.”  
  
All three of them turned their attention to the door when it opened and Rei came out of the shrine in street clothes, talking with her grandfather. “Kirito, do you know who’s driving?” The priestess asked.  
  
“Klein is.” Kirito replied as the four of them descended the stairs. “You can have the front seat, should you want it.”  
  
Rei grinned, “I think I will take you up on that, Kirito.” She said as they reached the base of the stairs.  
  
Kirito was the first to reach the van and opened first the front door for Rei, and then the side door for Lux and Minako, who had dismissed her uniform. Rei climbed into the front passenger seat and pulled the door closed behind her.  
  
He let Lux and Minako climb into the van before he followed them, pulling the door shut.  
  
“Ready to go?” Klein asked from the driver’s seat.  
  
“Yes,” Kirito said as his seatbelt clicked into place. “Let’s get going.”

* * *

  
  
**June 14, 2025: SAO Survivor School**  
  
Rei and Minako were both surprised by how many people were sitting and chatting on the stands of the gymnasium of the school. “There are more people here than I expected.” Minako said as her gaze washed over them all.  
  
“There must be at least fifty people here.” Rei agreed.  
  
“Still more than I thought there would be, we usually didn’t have a full Raid Team during the Boss meetings in SAO, usually just the leaders and their seconds.” Kirito explained, “Though, seeing as what we are preparing for… I’m not surprised there are so many people here.”  
  
“You four are the last to arrive.” Asuna said as she approached. “Minako, Rei, there is a bench in the corner reserved for my Guardians where you can sit.”  
  
Minako and Rei both bowed, “Then if you will excuse us, Asuna?” Minako spoke.  
  
Asuna nodded, watching as the Guardians of Venus and Mars walked over and sat down with the rest of the Guardians of the Solar System. The only person not sitting with them was Persephone, for rather obvious reasons.  
  
Kirito turned to Lux as Ēkate rubbed against his legs. “Go find a seat, Kuro.”  
  
Lux stiffened at Kirito’s use of her other alias. “Sir.” She snapped a salute, spotted a seat next to Persephone and went to sit down.  
  
“Kirito-kun?” Asuna asked once she was sure that they would not be overheard.  
  
“Yes, Asuna-hime?” Kirito replied, turning his full attention to his Princess.  
  
“You do know that we need to send someone to inform the families, should anyone die right?” She reminded him, “Aaaa and the other two, how are we going to do that?”  
  
“Aki will have the records,” Kirito replied softly, “I know that we need to inform their families, we just haven’t had the time yet.” He paused. “Who were you thinking of sending?”  
  
“Perhaps Guardsman Solbjoem, or maybe your brother.” Asuna replied. “Or perhaps we should do it together, once this is over… but,” Tears sprang into her eyes that were impossible to ignore. “It’s something we can’t just ignore.”  
  
Kirito sighed, “I know, but we have to figure out what to give to their families,” He said, wiping the tears away from her eyes soothingly. “We’ll figure it out.”  
  
Asuna nodded, “Are you ready for the meeting?” She changed the subject.  
  
“As ready as I can be with a crowd like this.” Kirito said with a sigh. “I _still_ hate dealing with crowds this big.”  
  
“Suck it up, Kirito-kun, you’ll do fine, you always have.” Asuna reassured him.  
  
“Easy for you to say,” Kirito grumbled as he followed her to the podium.  
  
Once there, Kirito pulled out his tablet and set it on the podium and started to go through his notes on what they were going to be doing as he decided where to start. There were a few places he could start from…  
  
Nephrite was dead, perhaps that was the best place. It was good news, as was the fact that they’d managed to save everyone that had been left as hostages.  
  
He pulled his hand away from the tablet and gave Asuna a nod.  
  
Asuna nodded back and went to sit down with Heathcliff, and Oberon, who had requested that he be present. Asuna was going to be his translator for the duration of the meeting.  
  
Kirito coughed quietly to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “Welcome to the final meeting.” Kirito began. “As everyone has doubtlessly found out by now, _Nephrite is dead_ , congratulations, Agil.”  
  
There was a smattering of applause and Kirito patiently waited for it to peeter out. “In addition to that, we managed to rescue all three of the surviving hostages from the Dark Kingdom. Oberon, Titania, and a young child whose name I will not give out.”  
  
“This is it.” Kirito continued. “We only have the Sword Wraith of Beryl left, and whatever it is that might be behind her. That means that we are heading back to the Dark Kingdom.”  
  
He paused, looking back down at his tablet as he thought about what to say.  
  


* * *

****

  
“This is how you conduct meetings?” Oberon asked Asuna quietly after she finished translating for him.  
  
“Yes, it’s worked so far.” Asuna replied. Turning her attention back to Kirito. “He has grown much since the Beta of SAO, at least according to Heathcliff.”  
  
Oberon chuckled. “He holds their attention very well.”  
  
Asuna was quite smug. “I must say he learned from the best.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito called for Rameses, Kebechet and Silica to stay behind after he dismissed the rest of the people at the meeting. “It has been brought to my attention that the _Sword Wraith_ possessing the corpse of Beryl-chan’s past life may be planning to send out a massive wave of Youma.” He said. “My mother, Sanna and Selja informed us of a number of Youma being prepared for an operation, too many to be anything but an attack.”  
  
“What?” Silica asked, “Where are they being sent?”  
  
Kirito grimaced. “I’ve already briefed other groups to keep an eye on other key locations and send the message out, but for you three, I want you three to head to Chiyoda and focus on ensuring that the Imperial Palace is protected. I have another team on the Kantei to ensure that the Prime Minister does not get threatened by them as well.”  
  
“And why is this important?” Rameses asked, holding up a hand to forestall an angry outburst.  
  
Kirito shook his head. “I know that your loyalty is first to Asuna.” He said. “But Asuna is still a citizen of Japan. I want the three of you to keep the Youma from getting anywhere close to him.”  
  
“But I wanted to go with you for once!” Silica said.  
  
“Next time, Silica.” Kirito replied, “You know I can’t put you on the official rosters until October. Besides, I don’t really trust anyone else with this assignment.”

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
There was an explosion and several Youma were turned to dust for reporting that the DD Girls had gone missing to their Queen.  
  
No Youma dared utter a word as they watched their queen pace before her throne, muttering to herself as she tried to come up with some kind of working plan. She had gathered dozens of Youma to act as a follow on force after the DD Girls had killed that boy, or on the unlikely but now certain possibility of their failure, to keep the Senshi and their helpers busy. Now, where would the best… of course! She turned to her audience. “I am sending half of you to Chiyoda in Japan. You are to drain the entire Imperial family… until they are nothing but _dust!_ ” She ordered.   
  
Then an alarm went off and Queen Beryl’s temper got even worse. There were more intruders. “Bold of them, to strike here again,” she said. “Those staying here, kill every single intruder you come across!” The _Sword Wraith_ snarled. When not a single Youma moved, she growled, “Get moving!”  
  
Her throne room emptied several seconds later.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito looked around for a moment from where he stood next to Cerridwen. The rest of the Senshi were to his fiancée’s left, and all of his men were behind him. “So, Cerridwen-sama, is the plan still valid?”  
  
“Yes.” Cerridwen replied, “You do know how high the risks are?”  
  
“We all do.” Kirito agreed. “We’ve all accepted the fact that we might not make it back alive. We will do what we must.”  
  
Cerridwen nodded, “Then you will clear a path for my Guardians and I?”  
  
“It would be our pleasure, Cerridwen-sama.” Kirito bowed to her.  
  
Cerridwen turned to her Guardians. “Do _not_ get in the way of those members who are assigned to you.” She instructed. “Their job is to make sure that we get to our target as fresh as is possible.” Cerridwen stared at Uranus and Neptune, “That is especially important for the two of you, since you are my heaviest of hitters.”  
  
Uranus grimaced as Neptune bowed. “We understand. Thank you.”  
  
Cerridwen turned back to Kirito and gave him a nod.  
  
Kirito turned, “Alright, listen up!” He called as loudly as he dared.  
  
More than fifty sets of eyes focused on him and Kirito forced himself to ignore it. “We are here, to do one thing and one thing only.” He said, making sure to make eye contact with as many of his people as possible. “And that, is to completely and utterly destroy this place. We are to carve the way to whatever that thing behind that _Sword Wraith_ is so that Cerridwen-sama and her Guardians can finally end the war that has been going on for ten years.”  
  
No one said anything when he paused, searching for a specific person in the crowd. “Rosalia!”  
  
“Sir!” Rosalia called back as two people stepped aside.  
  
“You and your boys are reminded that looting is _encouraged_.” Kirito said. “Take anything and everything you can. You get bonus points for everything thought to be nailed down. And as long as you don’t make my job harder than it already is, you won’t get in trouble. Is that understood?”  
  
Rosalia’s brilliant green eyes gleamed in anticipation. “Sir, yes sir!” She replied with a rather hungry smile on her face.  
  
Kirito gave her a final nod. “Keep to your parties, I’d _really hate_ to have to leave someone’s body behind when we leave, because the moment that _thing_ dies, I can almost certainly guarantee that this dimensional space is going to collapse, and anyone left inside will die.”  
  
“How long do we have before they know that we are here?” Klein asked.  
  
“What makes you think that they don’t?” Kirito asked pointedly. “Right, you all have your assignments. Let’s move.”  
  
There was some quiet shuffling as each person moved to stand with their teams. When they were finished Kirito nodded, turning back to Cerridwen. “We are ready.”  
  
“Good.” Cerridwen smirked, “And they all know to whom each team is assigned?”  
  
“Yes.” Kirito said stiffly. “We are at your command, Cerridwen-sama do with us as you will.”


	40. The Final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End arrives!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endurgreiðslutími sem þú tíkir! = Pay back time you bitches!
> 
> Kaígontas daímones, kaíne! = Burn demons, burn!
> 
> Ī śud'dhīkarisuva mūnlaiṭnondige, nanna munde mālevolens annu nānu nāśapaḍisuttēne! Prārambhavāyitu, rākṣasa! = With this purifying Moonlight, I destroy the Malevolence before me! Begone, Demon!

**June 18, 2025; Dark Kingdom**  
  
Beryl-chan and Endymion stepped forward. “So, it’s going to be a race then?” Beryl-chan’s eyes burned in anger, “Because of what that _bitch_ did to your mother?”  
  
“It sure seems that way.” Kirito agreed casually as the Guardians and their escorts moved away. “My mother wanted to be here but well…”  
  
Beryl-chan nodded in understanding. “The Captain has been frothing at the mouth.”  
  
“Keh,” Kirito chuckled. “I’ve talked with him about that. And it violates The List. Really, we’ve been using some of it, though we don’t currently have a five year old on hand… What makes the Captain think that I’ll let him torture a _Sword Wraith_? They are hard enough to kill already! We don’t need to make it any harder by dragging out their suffering.”  
  
Beryl-chan and Endymion nodded in understanding. “My enemies are _not_ too good to be shot.” Endymion agreed.  
  
“If only we had more than just the one.” Kirito snorted. “I’m still willing to let you have the first shot, but only if Heathcliff and I don’t get there first.”  
  
“Understood.” Beryl-chan bowed politely.  
  
Ēkate growled lowly from Kirito’s side. He was ready for the _hunt_ to begin.  
  
“Calm yourself, Ēkate,” Kirito said soothingly. “We _will_ get our pound of flesh.”  
  
Ēkate’s growl became a deep purr.  
  
“May the fastest pair win.” Kirito said to Endymion.  
  
“Indeed.” Endymion smirked as Heathcliff appeared at Kirito’s side.  
  
“The rest are away. I think it’s time we got going ourselves.” Heathcliff said, ending the conversation.  
  
Beryl-chan only noticed Kirito’s solid gold eyes when the younger man narrowed his eyes and turned to look at his older brother. Great, the Commander was _pissed_. Well, if she didn’t get there first, she’d be treated to quite the show. Now, if only she had some popcorn for the occasion.  
  
Not that she didn’t plan to get there first.  
  


* * *

****

  
The two pairs had split up; Kirito and Heathcliff were clearing out Youma when they came across them, as were Beryl-chan and Endymion.  
  
Kirito had slain another Youma when he had to duck under a blast of magic. Turning to where the blast came from, he smiled grimly. “So, you came _looking_ for me. Am I _really_ that dangerous to you, _Sword Wraith_?” He asked, acting as if this was a regular occurrence.  
  
Queen Beryl growled, the sound wasn’t even remotely human. “I’m going to kill you, boy. _And then I’m going to feast of your flesh!_ ”  
  
Kirito found himself taking a step back. What? What could that mean?  
  
He was barely able to get his sword up in time to block the Sword Wraith’s lunge. What was he thinking, taking on a creature that was only seen above the Ninetieth floor of Aincrad on his own? He’d only made it to the end of the seventy-fifth floor! He didn’t have _nearly_ enough training to take this thing on one-on-one!  
  
And that was on top of him not being in top shape. Where was Heathcliff?  
  
Ēkate hissed and spat at Queen Beryl, attacking her whenever Kirito managed to give him an opening. He was able to keep his partner from being attacked more than Kirito could deal with.  
  
There had been a few times already where Kirito had been thrown to the ground, hard enough to bounce and roll.  
  
Kirito was starting to breathe hard and when he shook his head, there was a spray of sweat that went everywhere. He glared up at the _Sword Wraith_ , not saying a word. He knew that he was in no way ready to face his opponent, but the damned Monster had sought _him_ out! Kirito was sure that if Ēkate had not bullied his way into being here, he would have already died. Still, even with his Sabercat’s help… the _Sword Wraith_ was likely to kill him, especially if he didn’t get some substantial help, and soon.  
  
Kirito took a deep, slow breath and reached inward. He knew he had a bond with his pet, but it still felt like there was supposed to be something else here to support him. Could it be that the Winged Serpent companion he’d had in SAO was real? Surely, Pina could not have been the only animal to get caught up in Sword Art Online. But, should he even try? “What was that Lore Cerridwen and I found?” He asked himself as he was forced to dodge another unfocused blast of magic. “Something about how the Flying Serpents will only bond with the next Queen and her Consort?”  
  
Yes, that was it, but that also wasn’t all of the Lore. What was the rest?  
  
Kirito grit his teeth as his left arm was caught in the periphery of another blast. There was no way he was giving this demon the satisfaction of his pain. One thing was certain; his single sword style wasn’t going to cut it.  
  
Was he efficient enough with his magic to risk using two?  
  
He was going to have to find out.  
  
It was just too bad that he didn’t have any companions to distract the devil in front of him. It would have been great had Klein allowed one or two of his guys to shadow him, but Kirito was almost certain that he’d be able to think of something.  
  
Kirito chuckled, “I need ten seconds,” He said to himself, “Let’s see if I can make this work.”

* * *

  
  
**Aincrad; Floor 35: Chaparral Wasteland**  
  
There was a thunderous snort followed by a deep, deep growl. It could feel its partner’s spike of pain. Before, it hadn’t been worried, since the boy’s Mana Pool was large and pulsed strongly with the vibrance of Life. But now, Its Boy felt as if he was in a struggle, which he was losing.  
  
That could _not_ be allowed to happen. The boy was young, and he had a _very_ long life to look forward to. There had to be a way to help. There had to be a way to… The Bond they had, It could use that!  
  
That still left the question of what kind of aid it could give to Its Boy from here, where Its sphere of influence was bordering on insignificant.  
  
It lifted its head and shook out its wings. Perhaps… It looked down at itself and then up at the floor above. It hissed in frustration, perhaps there was a way to move Itself to the Boy’s side? It knew there was a way. The method was rather physically and magically consuming, for Itself more than its Partner, but that hardly mattered. It had a rather deep Mana Pool to pull from so that’s wasn’t as much of a problem.  
  
Every second It sat here, was another second Its Boy didn’t have.  
  
There was no more time to contemplate what It should do. Coiling Its body tightly, It flung Itself into the air.  
  
And then It was gone.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Kirito reached over his shoulder, as if he’d already Equipped his second Anneal Blade, not reacting when his hand closed around the hilt and he pulled it out of his Inventory without accessing his Mystic Tome first.  
  
This was something he was going to have to investigate later, when he wasn’t fighting for his life.  
  
There was a flash of light, and then a roar. Huge, _familiar_ wings closed around him as another blast of magic was flung his way. A blast large enough that he would not have been able to dodge it. One that likely would have killed him.  
  
Kirito closed his eyes when he felt the warmth of a breath on the back of his neck and felt it spread across his body in soothing ripples. He opened his eyes to find himself in the shadow of something huge.  
  
Looking up, he came face to snout with an Aincrad Native that he hadn’t expected to meet before making the journey there. “Sorato…” He breathed in amazement.  
  
The huge Winged Serpent drew its huge wings back, and Kirito shot forward, like a bullet from a gun. He gave a loud battle cry as he used one of his Anneal Blades to slash through the _Sword Wraith’s_ next blast of magic, causing it to dissipate.  
  
He didn’t stop, taking swing after swing at the Monster that he hated. He set up to attack it again, subconsciously setting himself up for a Sword Skill. Starburst Stream had been a favorite of his during SAO, but was likely still out of his reach. _Fuck you, muscle memory!_  
  
He even recognised which one he was going to be using and unfortunately, he was now committed to this course of action. He watched as if in slow motion as he began to swing from left to right with the right sword, immediately followed by an uppercut with the left sword. The user then jumps up and slashes the target with both swords from left to right while spinning, twice. The user lands facing the target and slashes an X from top to bottom, before inversely slashing the X again from bottom to top. The user then leaps at the target and makes two diagonal slashes from the same starting point, with the left sword heading from top to bottom to the left, while the right sword heads from bottom to top toward the right.  
  
He was half finished, and though he felt almost dead on his feet, he could not stop. He had to keep going; he could not allow the monster before him to interrupt his attack. But even though he was urging himself to go faster and faster, as fast as his body would allow, Kirito knew that he was slowing down.  
  
The _Sword Wraith_ reached through his attack pattern and grabbed him by the throat, lifting Kirito off his feet with a monstrous strength.  
  
Feeling his air being cut off, Kirito dropped both his swords and took hold of the clawed hand. Dangling there, he had no leverage. And he was certain that he would die here when the claw suddenly went slack and he pushed himself away, landing hard on the ground at her feet.  
  
“I won’t let you hurt my friend.” He heard Beryl-chan say and he looked up, blinking when he saw a sword coming out of the demon’s chest, bisecting whatever was in place of a heart.  
  
The _Sword Wraith_ keened its death knell and fell to pieces, revealing Beryl-chan, holding Endymion’s sword.  
  
Slowly, Kirito pushed himself back to his feet and picked up his swords. He felt dead on his feet, almost literally. He could pass out later; he still had work to do. “Thank you, Beryl-chan.” He wheezed.  
  
“Anytime, Commander.” Beryl-chan replied with a smile.

* * *

  
  
**Japan: Chiyoda**  
  
Silica held the Aincrad equivalent of binoculars up to her eyes. While it smarted that she wasn’t going to be helping the Commander and the Princess burn the Dark Kingdom to the ground, she was quite proud of the fact that Kirito had entrusted her with the safety of their Emperor.  
  
“Have the Youma arrived yet?” Kebechet asked.  
  
“I’m seeing a few right now, nothing we can’t handle.” Silica replied.  
  
“Well, as long as--” Both Silica and Kebechet clapped their hands over Rameses’ mouth, silencing him.  
  
“I thought you knew not to taunt Aincrad, brother-dear…” Kebechet whispered with a terrifying smile on her face.  
  
“What have we told you about tempting Murphy?” Silica growled. “Keep your mouth shut and don’t jinx us!”  
  
“Right.” Rameses said, eyeing both young women warily.  
  
“So, now that we know they are here, what about the other teams?” Kebechet asked.  
  
“Should be getting a note pretty soon.” Silica replied as a notification appeared. “And there it is.” She tapped it and read through it quickly. “So far, the Youma don’t appear to be anywhere else.”  
  
“Then tell them that they should be sending some people to our location.” Kebechet told her human friend.  
  
Rameses looked out over the Palace Complex. “What about the Guards?” He asked.  
  
Silica tapped her finger for about a second as she thought about it. “I’ll go inform one of them after I’ve called in reinforcements.” She said finally as she typed a short response to the message she’d gotten.  
  
Kebechet looked at where they spotted the Youma. “You might want to hurry,” she said. “The civilians have noticed and the Youma numbers are growing.”  
  
Silica grimaced as she got up. “I’d better go then.” She hit send and then jumped down from the roof to the street and made her way casually to the first guard she met.  
  
There was a hurried conversation in Japanese, spoken much too fast for either Aincrad residents to understand. It all ended with Silica looking rather pleased with herself. She turned back to them. “They’ll keep the gates open as long as they can for civilians who get here, at least for now,” she said to them in Lunarian. “We just have to keep the Youma off of everyone as long as we can.”  
  
“I hope Princess Rei gave you some talismans to keep the Youma away from this point then,” Kebechet said. “I can tell that this place is warded, but we don’t know how well those wards will work against Youma or if they will be enough.”  
  
“I have a few,” Silica said and gave an apologetic shrug. “But not many and definitely not enough to cover the area in front of the Gates. I used the other ones I had to secure my home against them and I don’t know enough to make more warding Ofuda. I can barely make ones good enough to stop a Youma in its tracks, let alone hurt one as it is. I have plenty of those though.”  
  
Rameses and Kebechet nodded. “Fair enough,” Rameses said and looked at the now panicking crowd. “We’ll just have to hold out long enough for backup to arrive then and hope it’s enough.”  
  
“Yes,” Silica agreed, “Let’s get to work.”

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
Cerridwen looked around at the deserted throne room. “I think we are almost there.” She said. “Unfortunately, we’ve run out of map.”  
  
“I’m surprised they managed to map so much of this place.” Uranus said quietly. “You weren’t here very long last time.”  
  
“We certainly didn’t have very much time to do any exploring.” Cerridwen stated. “This will be the first time we’ve fought the Floor Boss without exploring the whole Labyrinth…” She said with no small amount of amusement at her own metaphor.  
  
Venus sent Cerridwen a flat look. “Very funny.”  
  
“I certainly thought so.” Mars said with a chuckle. “But where do we go from here?”  
  
Cerridwen cast her senses outward, looking for the sickening darkness she was now familiar with. “I think there’s a passage behind the throne.”  
  
Jupiter cracked her knuckles as she mounted the stairs. “Let’s see if I can remove this ugly thing then.” She pulled back, and with a thunderous crash, destroyed the throne in on hit. When the dust settled, the way past was clear and the passage Cerridwen had found was revealed.  
  
Cerridwen nodded. “Just as I thought.” She said, walking through the rubble. “Let’s go.” She disappeared into the formerly hidden passageway.

* * *

  
  
**Chiyoda: Outside the Kōkyo Grounds**  
  
Boxy and Jiji nodded to each other as they arrived. “So, I take it you felt the disturbance, Jiji?” Boxy asked.  
  
Jiji chuckled, “I did indeed, and while these bones may be too old to lend a hand in battle, I have… other skills that you and the others will find useful.”  
  
“Boxy!” Silica called, “Thank you for coming!”  
  
Boxy waved her off. “One of us Immortals had to stay behind in case of some kind of attack.” He said, “And while I don’t like to fight…”  
  
Silica nodded in understanding. “Good evening, Jiji-sensei.” She said, bowing to Rei’s grandfather.  
  
“A good evening to you, Silica-chan.” Jiji beamed at his granddaughter’s young student before becoming more serious. “I sensed the Darkness congregating, do you need anything?”  
  
Silica grimaced, “I don’t have enough Ofuda to ward the gate.” She replied, “I used what I had left of my warding Ofuda, but I only have the Ofuda that will hurt them left.”  
  
Jiji nodded thoughtfully. “Leave that to me.” He said, going off to look at the gates to the Imperial Palace.  
  
Silica turned back to Boxy. “Who else is coming?”  
  
“To the best of my knowledge, Fire Emblem is on their way. As are the Silver Flags.” Boxy said after a moment of thought. “Sasha might also arrive soon as well.”  
  
“They will be of great help, I think.” Silica agreed.  
  
Rameses nodded in agreement. He and his sister were still unnerved by the feeling Jiji gave off, but it was hard to hate the perverted old man that made off color jokes when he thought someone was being too serious.  
  
They all found his jokes to be funny, if embarrassing.  
  
Silica followed Jiji to the gates to watch him work curiously, her eyes going wide when he pulled out his Calligraphy set and started making the required Ofuda at speeds she’d previously though only anime allowed.  
  
She knew that Ofuda needed rather precise calligraphy to be done right, but how was he moving so fast?  
  
“If you practice enough, you too will get this fast.” Jiji’s voice shocked Silica out of her stupor.  
  
Silica shook her head to clear it. “Is Rei-sensei as fast as you are?” She asked curiously.  
  
“Almost, she still has a few years yet.” Jiji replied. “Now you need to be on the lookout for the Youma, leave an old man to his work.”  
  
“Yes sir.” Silica agreed, leaving the man who used to be a Youma to his work.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom**  
  
The seven Guardians and their Princess rushed through the passageway, the air getting thicker and colder with each step. “It’s not much farther, I see light ahead.” Cerridwen called.  
  
“This is a long hallway…” Venus muttered.  
  
“Don’t complain,” Mars shot back. “We are about to win.”  
  
“Who was complaining?” Venus grumbled. “The hallway _is_ long! I was making a statement!”  
  
“Watch the chatter you two!” Cerridwen barked, “After we get back you can all sleep for a month for all I care!”  
  
“Yes Ma’am!” The Inner Guardians all chimed in.  
  
“And if you think I’m not looking forward to that month long nap then you’re out of your mind.” Mercury grinned.  
  
Cerridwen rolled her eyes fondly as she listened to them.

* * *

  
  
**Chiyoda**  
  
Yuuna watched from the top of the wall along the perimeter of the Imperial Palace. “Nautilus and the others should be here soon, Silica.” She said into the walkie talkie that she’d brought.  
  
“Argent and his guys are already here.” Silica said from where she was watching the approach to the gates. “The Youma seem to be waiting for something. You going to Buff us once everyone arrives?”  
  
“Was planning on it.” The Loremaster replied. “You think we are going to be able to take them all?”  
  
“Yes.” Silica said, her voice full of confidence.  
  
“Alright then.” Yuuna agreed, switching frequencies. “Luna, do you read me?”  
  
“I’m here.” Said the Goldsmith. “I don’t think you understand how scary I find this.”  
  
“Actually, I think I do.” Yuuna replied. “But you know how to use your magic now; you are never going to be that girl that freezes in the face of them again. You _know_ how to kill them. But yes, that sight is bad.”  
  


* * *

****

  
Luna met Argent’s glance, “Start funnelling the Civilians towards the Kōkyo’s gates,” she said. “Silica informed Yuuna and I that the Imperial Guard will keep them open and allow civilians into the public areas for now.”  
  
Argent saluted playfully. Then he turned to his Guild. “Alright, Aurum, you heard the Lady! Let’s go.”  
  
Aurum gave a short whistle to get the panicked people’s attention. Fire Emblem and a couple of other guilds had provided a cordon for the civilians to get out of the way of the Youma advance that gave them a clear line to the Kōkyo if it they were allowed to funnel them there. They also had access to streets and alleys that were being carefully watched by others to evacuate people through as well. It worked and they started migrating to where they were directed. Aurum then nodded to his Guildmaster.  
  
Argent nodded to Luna. “The Civilians are moving.” He said. “Aurum, coordinate with the Silver Flags so that the evacuation continues and stays orderly.” He turned to Luna “We can start anytime.”  
  
Luna nodded, relaying the message to Silica, wishing, not for the first time, that they had access to the radios from the Mars Floor in SAO.  
  
“Understood.” Yuuna said, “Nautilus and his team just arrived, get ready.”  
  
“As you say, Yuuna.” Luna sighed as she started hearing music in the background. “We are ready.”  
  


* * *

****

The words of Yuna’s song were loud and clear, and all of the Defenders could feel it as they got several boosts to their magic, stamina, agility and their raw strength.

Nautilus stepped forward as the Youma all began to rush forward. “We will defend to our deaths if necessary.” His body was tense and his hands were shaking in clear fear, but he took a resolute step forward.

Silica watched Rameses give him a grim smile. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” He said in heavily accented Japanese. That was when they all charged forward to meet the Youma head on.

“ _Endurgreiðslutími sem þú tíkir!_ ” Silica heard Kebechet shout in Alvarin as she turned one group into dust with water and ice before she had to engage in close combat.

“ _Kaígontas daímones, kaíne!_ ” Rameses shouted in Graelic as he sent several fireballs into the mass of Youma before drawing his sword and cutting the first one he encountered in half.

* * *

  
  
**Dark Kingdom: Metallia’s Inner Sanctum**  
  
Cerridwen’s eyes narrowed and she barely kept herself from flinching when she saw the malicious spirit that was waiting for them. _“I hate astral types!”_ she grumbled. Well, now she knew what it was that had caused her phobia.  
  
 ** _“Give me the Ginzuishou!”_** the formless demon demanded with enough volume and rage to cause pebbles to fall from the ceiling and make her bones vibrate.  
  
Cereridwen held her hand out and said crystal appeared, floating over above it. “You want this?” She asked, her voice a low growl as Venus and Mars stood on either side of her, their hands cupping the Crystal from different sides.  
  
“Uranus, Neptune, distract it for us, will you?” Venus asked as Mercury’s hand joined Venus’ and Jupiter’s hand joined Mars’. “I believe we’ll need a few moments to charge.”  
  
Uranus’ grin and accompanying laugh sounded almost evil as the older Guardian cracked her knuckles. “We’d be _delighted_ to do so!” She made a fist and waited a few moments, charging her attack. “ _WORLD SHAKING!_ ” She cast her spell, flinging it with as much strength as she could at the monster that had disrupted their lives for so long.  
  
Neptune stepped up a moment later, a fully charged spell of her own in hand. “DEEP SUBMERGE!” She called, just as Uranus’ spell hit the evil being center mass.  
  
The monster screamed in agony and rage as the second spell hit even harder than the first one had.  
  
Cerridwen grit her teeth as the Crystal floating above her hand glowed brighter and brighter, “I will finish this war, here and now. Then, maybe we can all live the lives we were supposed to.” She raised her hand and took aim. “Ī śud'dhīkarisuva mūnlaiṭnondige, nanna munde mālevolens annu nānu nāśapaḍisuttēne! Prārambhavāyitu, rākṣasa!”  
  
The bright white beam of light that made up the spell almost blinded them all. Cerridwen leaned sideways into Venus’ side, breathing hard. “Even with you helping, that still took a lot.”  
  
Metallia’s death screams were hard on their ears, but it cut off suddenly as the being of pure malice was turned to dust.  
  
That was when the shaking started.  
  


* * *

****

  
Kirito looked up at the rumbling happening all around them, his face still pale from the fight with Queen Beryl and his close brush with death. “I’d say it’s time we left.” He said.  
  
“Do you need someone to carry you?” Beryl-chan asked urgently. She didn’t like how pale he was. “Are you Ok?”  
  
“I’ll be fine.” Kirito waved her concern away, “If I need help, Sorato will take care of it. Now let’s get out of here, we need to leave and be alive for Hime and Tilnel to bitch at me.” He turned and the pair headed back to the portal that would take them home at top speed.  
  
Despite the numerous Youma they saw, they weren’t bothered by any of them. Most became completely still and lifeless and the few who weren’t were more concerned with either fleeing or had sunk to their knees and were staring out blankly in horror.

* * *

  
  
**Japan - Minato Ward: Hikawa Shrine**  
  
Cerridwen was the last one out of the portal as it finally collapsed. Silently, she did a headcount, she knew how many people they’d started with, and it looked like they weren’t missing anyone. “Kirito-kun, repor--”  
  
Her eyes widened as her Consort collapsed into her arms, out like a light. “Kirito-kun!” Her arms tightened around him as she dismissed her armor and gently lowered him to the ground. “Persephone, help!” She called.  
  
Guardian Saturn knelt by his side and her hands glowed briefly.


	41. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean Kirito nearly killed himself again!?

**July 2025; Setagaya: Dicey Cafe Infirmary**  
  
When Kirito opened his eyes, he hissed in agony. His _everything_ hurt. What the hell had he done this time? Oh. Right, _that’s_ what happened. He winced at the memory of being forced to fight Zomberyl on his own for several minutes before Beryl-chan had saved his bacon. _Fucking Sword Wraiths_! He thought as he lay there, staring up at the white ceiling.  
  
It was his own fault he was in this much pain. He’d overtaxed himself… _again_. Damn it! He knew better! Not that he’d had any choice. That Sword Wraith had been dead set on killing him herself. It wasn’t as if he’d been given the chance to retreat and get backup.  
  
He should not have pulled out his second Anneal Blade. And if he’d had any other choice he would not have done so. Where had Aki been?  
  
“Well, Commander, what do you have to say for yourself?” a voice asked in Lunarian. Ah, so it was Titania who was looking after him.  
  
“I know I shouldn’t have used Dual Blades.” He said quietly in the same language, “Using that Sword Skill almost killed me.” He turned his gaze onto the Fairy woman. “I do know better, this happened several times in SAO.”  
  
Titania nodded, “I thought that might be the case. You have some very worried family members waiting outside for you to wake up.”  
  
“Figured.” Kirito sighed, “And Asuna is likely to get _creative_ in her punishment. Especially since I know better, not that I had much choice. Either do something that had a high risk of death, or not do it and die anyway _._ ”  
  
“You almost did die,” Titania said sharply. “Your organs were shutting down and it took Persephone two hours to make sure that you would survive.”  
  
Kirito winced. Oh yeah, Asuna was going to ensure that his punishment was suitably humiliating. “Did everyone…?”  
  
“Everyone made it back, most with fairly minor wounds,” Titania said. “A few had more significant ones, but they’ve been taken care of.” She paused. “We also have prisoners.”  
  
Kirito sighed in relief. He’d managed to pull off another miracle then. It was almost amusing that he’d managed to keep his record, since they had been playing for keeps. And then Titania’s last statement registered, causing him to blink. “Wait, what?” He asked.  
  
“Prisoners.” Titania emphasized. “Most were captured during the defense of the Imperial Palace, but apparently a few made it through the portal when you and the rest were evacuating the Dark Kingdom and immediately surrendered.”  
  
“Is it all right if I’m sitting up to receive my visitors?” If he hadn’t been in so much pain, he might have laughed.  
  
Titania gave him a narrowed eyed look that made him cringe.  
  
“I’ll take that as a no.” Kirito said meekly, closing his eyes. Goddesses, even when he’d done this in SAO he hadn’t been this tired. It was time to face the music.  
  


* * *

****

  
Asuna kept her head down, praying that he’d be fine, just like every _other_ time this had happened.  
  
“Asuna-hime. Kirito will be fine.” Persephone soothed quietly.  
  
Asuna’s eyes moved to Heathcliff, who was standing across the hall from her, standing beside the door leading to Kirito’s room. “Tande?”  
  
Heathcliff turned to her, “Yes, Asuna-kun?”  
  
“Who would be the right person to scare Kirito-kun into not doing this to me again?” She asked with a sweet smile.  
  
“Healer Hakonia?” Heathcliff asked, a note uncertainty in his voice. That sweet smile was one of the scariest he’d ever seen.  
  
“Thank you, Tande.” Asuna turned back to Persephone, the smile on her face making the other girl back up. “Persephone?”  
  
“Um,” Persephone swallowed, extremely pleased with the fact that _that smile_ was _not_ for her. “Yes, Asuna-hime?”  
  
“You are to bring Healer Hakonia here, so that she can deal with Kirito-kun.” Asuna’s terrifying smile widened. “After she is finished chewing him out, you can take her back to Aincrad, if she insists, which she probably will.”  
  
Persephone began to sweat. “Yes Ma’am.” It was probably going to take a while to talk the more experienced Healer around. Given what Rameses has said about the Healer and her own observations, she’d hopefully be happy to have someone to chew out for being an idiot.  
  
Since Persephone hadn’t dismissed her Guardian Uniform, she teleported away.

* * *

  
  
**Saturn - Aincrad: Seran Dael Medical Center**  
  
Healer Hakonia looked up from her patient when she sensed Persephone arrive. “Not here for more supplies, are you, Princess Persephone?” She asked.  
  
Persephone rubbed at the back of her head. “No actually…”  
  
“Then why are you here?” Healer Hakonia asked.  
  
Persephone took a deep breath and braced herself for the other Healer’s reaction. “Princess Asuna has requested that you come with me.” She looked at the patient. “After you finish with your patients, of course.”  
  
“It will be about two hours before my shift is done, barring any complications or more damn fool idiots.” Hakonia said.  
  
“I can’t say anything about here, but you might have a few on Earth,” Persephone replied.  
  
“Umm, who are you?” Hakonia’s patient, a young woman, asked.  
  
Persephone just smiled. “You may call me Persephone.”  
  
The young woman nodded before blinking, “Oh, nice to meet yo- wait a minute,” the young woman looked at her. “Where in Tartarus have you been, Princess?” She demanded.  
  
Persephone smirked. “I caught a very bad case of dead. It took a while, but I’m _all better_ now!” she snarked back cheerfully. Then she turned back to Hakonia. “Either way, since you are currently busy, I’m going to inform the Governor-General that we’ve won.”  
  
“I’ll see you in a few hours, then.” Hakonia said, shooing Persephone away.

* * *

  
  
**Skarlet Pyales**  
  
Governor-General Nightfallen was waiting at the Teleport Station when Persephone arrived. “Good afternoon to you, Governor-General Nightfallen.” Persephone greeted with a smile.  
  
“It is good to see you, Persephone, but what are you doing here?” Selene Nightfallen asked.  
  
“Princess Asuna has requested that I bring Healer Hakonia back to Earth for a few hours.” Persephone explained. “I decided that I would also tell you the good news in person, since I’m here, and I have to wait for Healer Hakonia’s shift to end in two hours anyway.”  
  
Selene perked up. “Good news?” She asked. “What kind of good news?”  
  
Persephone’s smile was catching, “We destroyed the Dark Kingdom two days ago and all the Sword Wraiths, and the thing controlling them, are dead.” She reported.  
  
“Well,” Selene paused to think about it. “That’s wonderful news. I’ll be sure to send word out so that we too may celebrate.”  
  
Persephone’s smile only grew. “That’s not even the best news I have.”  
  
“Better?” Selene asked, “How can you have better news than that?” She demanded.  
  
“We didn’t lose a single person.” Persephone supplied. “Our Commander has once again pulled off a miracle.”  
  
Selene sat there for a moment in stunned silence. “He… managed to do it… _again?_ ” She asked slowly.  
  
Persephone nodded. “He did.”  
  
Selene went digging for her really good alcohol as Persephone left the office.

* * *

  
  
**Seran Dael**  
  
Healer Hakonia stared at the Guardian for a moment two hours later. “Tell me more please.”  
  
“Basically…” Persephone hesitated for a moment, not really sure if Kirito really deserved to have this hardass woman’s tongue inflicted on him or not. “Her Consort almost killed himself by using too much magic. And, um, he was fighting a Sword Wraith… on his own if I’m to believe what I was told…”  
  
“And he knows that that is a bad idea?” Hakonia asked. “Idiot boy with more balls than brains that he is, I would think that Rameses Soulfire would have told him that. He only blew the skylight in the Eighty-Fourth Floor’s ceiling that is named after him killing the nest that had managed to trap him and had to have an arm reattached. Not to mention almost losing the other arm, all the broken bones, needing four blood transfusions, and had to have his heart restarted, _twice,_ before we stabilized him.”  
  
“Yes, he was planning to use Heathcliff’s knowledge of how to fight it.” Persephone replied. “As I understand it, the Sword Wraith surprised him and didn’t give him a chance to retreat. And wait, _how badly was Rameses injured?!_ ”  
  
“You heard me” Hakonia replied. “He was lucky to survive. And your Commander is still an idiot.”  
  
“Asuna asked for you specifically and that she heard your reputation and might be able to scare him out of ever doing it again.” Persephone said. “Are you going to come?”  
  
Healer Hakonia watched Persephone for a moment. “Yes, and I need to check up on that other idiot boy as well. You said he nearly killed himself and you healed him. I want to make sure he’s fine, as he is likely to wave off any lingering issues as minor. Allow me a moment to make sure I have everything.”  
  
“Yes Ma’am.” Persephone agreed.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe Infirmary**  
  
Persephone was stiff when she reappeared under the Dicey Cafe. Having the hardass Undine around made her nervous.  
  
“Where are we?” Hakonia demanded once her vision was free of white spots.  
  
“Welcome to the Dicey Cafe, owned by Nephrite’s reincarnation, who goes by Agil these days, and his wife, Kathy.” Persephone was swift to explain. “He and Kathy both agreed to let us have our base under the Cafe.”  
  
“And where in this base are we?” Healer Hakonia asked.  
  
“We are…” Persephone checked the registry on the wall, which was in Japanese only, they’d have to add Lunarian soon, if only because Titania, Oberon and Epheme didn’t even know Japanese and Rameses and Kebechet were far from literate in it. “In the Infirmary.”  
  
Tilnel smiled when she saw the two of them, “Ah, Persephone, you were successful, good. Asuna would like a word with her before she sees anyone.”  
  
Persephone sighed, “Can I leave her with you for the moment then?”  
  
“Go ahead.” Tilnel replied. “I am sure that we can wait, and I can pass on what I have uncovered about the strain of HIV that the Konno twins have and the difficulties that we face with the disease.”  
  
Persephone took the chance to slip into Kirito’s room.  
  


* * *

****

  
“You know, I am very cross with you, Commander.” Persephone said as she stood over him.  
  
“Would it help if I told you that I didn’t have much of a choice?” Kirito hissed painful from where he lay on the bed, trying not to move at all.  
  
“That depends on if I believe any of what I’ve been told about your fight with the Sword Wraith.” Persephone said, crossing her arms.  
  
“Right,” Kirito agreed, shifting when a serpentine form hissed a warning. “Sorato, hush. It’s just Persephone.”  
  
The Winged Serpent lay his head on Kirito’s chest.  
  
“I heard Rameses’ horror story of how he was hunted by a pack of them, and no matter _what_ state I may be in at the moment, I am not actually an idiot.” Kirito continued after his Familiar had settled.  
  
“Did he tell you the extent of his injuries afterward?” Persephone asked.  
  
“He showed me the scars.” Kirito replied.  
  
“Commander, I found out from Healer Hakonia that he required four blood transfusions and needed his heart restarted twice before he was stabilized after that incident,” Persephone said.  
  


* * *

****

  
“Stupid boy.” Hakonia muttered as she left Kirito’s room. Sadly, she was less than surprised. He was sixteen, and boys at that age were prone to stupidity. She sent Heathcliff another glare. “You _know_ that you are not under any circumstances to let yourself be separated when you are dealing with those Monsters!”  
  
Heathcliff took a step back. “Yes Healer.” He said swiftly, hoping that she would not also lecture him.  
  
“That boy’s death would have been _your_ fault Heathcliff.” Hakonia continued. “ _Especially_ since you _knew_ that he was a prime target!”  
  
Heathcliff did his best not to wince. Of course he remembered that! They got separated in the chaos of the raid, which was _why_ that Sword Wraith managed to isolate his brother and engage him on his own. Not that it helped her, as Beryl was intentionally seeking out the possessed corpse in order to kill it herself.  
  
“Captain, Titania sent me over to give you her preliminary reporohshit,” Rameses said as he walked in. “Healer Hakonia… um… how are things with you this day?”  
  
Hakonia looked at him with narrow eyes. “Rameses Soulfire, I see you managed to keep your foolish ass alive,” she said. “And not from a lack of idiocy on your part, from what I’ve heard.” She pointed at a chair in the room. “Now, sit down. I will look you over and see what you did to yourself this time.”  
  
“Healer Hakonia, I’m perfectly fine,” Rameses said quickly.  
  
“Chair. Sit.” Hakonia insisted. “Knowing you, you damn idiot boy, you would downplay any injuries you have to make it seem as if you have a bigger fucking pair than you actually do have, if you didn’t manage to get turned into a eunuch by an _Avyavastheya Racanegaḷu_.”  
  
“Oi!” Rameses protested. “Listen here, you bitchy old water sprite- grrk!”  
  
Heathcliff slowly backed away as Rameses was stopped as Hakonia darted forward and had him firmly gripped by the throat. “I said _sit_ , you little shit.” She said dangerously. “Or I will break your legs and make you a patient here.”  
  
 _Sorry, Rameses, but you’re on your own here,_ Heathcliff thought as he advanced in the other direction.  
  


* * *

****

  
Hakonia watched as Rameses made a quick escape from her before turning and walking down the hallway towards where she heard Princess Persephone talking and considered what her scans told her. That boy had _not_ appreciated the thorough scan she did of him, as well as removing the burnt out and failing implants without anesthetizing him beforehand. She then told him that the moment he returned to Aincrad, he was to report to the Seran Dael Medical Center.   
  
To remove and replace all of his implants, at the very least. His surviving that which should have killed him, _again_ , not only burned out two, but had damaged several more. Having failed and failing implants was often worse than not having them at all. Thankfully, and luckily for him, he hadn’t damaged the ones that would have required a medical facility to remove.  
  
She was going to need to get a thorough review of what he did here. She knew that he faced something that forced him to use enough power that it was sheer luck he survived long enough for Princess Persephone to heal him, and she had a good idea of what he did.  
  
Now, barring anything else, she should probably return to Aincrad, but not before getting a summary of what has been going on. Both Governor-General Nightfallen and Captain-General Makan would want more information that what Persephone provided while she was waiting for Hakonia to finish her shift.  
  
It had already been a long day, and was going to get longer.

* * *

  
  
**Shintokyo - Ministry of Interior: Kikuoka Seijirou’s Office**  
  
“Thank you for finally agreeing to meet with me, Kirito-kun.” Kikuoka said, lacing his fingers in front of his face. “There are some things we need to discuss.”  
  
“Indeed,” Kirito agreed. “What do you want me to tell you?” He asked, leaning back in his seat as he tried to get comfortable. His whole body was still aching dully, but at least he wasn’t in excruciating pain anymore.  
  
He’d only partly understood Healer Hakonia’s lecture once she’d finished chewing him out in Lunarian and started in on him with Alvarin. And then not at all once she’d moved on to the other languages of the Empire. Not that he’d needed to, to understand that she was calling him an idiot. He also now knew _why_ she was in charge of Aincrad’s hospitals. Kirito had a feeling that he’d still be in a lot of pain, had Healer Hakonia not worked her special brand of magic to heal what Persephone had missed.  
  
“We are here to discuss what happened in SAO.” Kikuoka replied.  
  
“Ah, yes, _that_.” Kirito sighed. “Where would you like me to start?”  
  
“At the beginning is probably best.” Kikuoka said.  
  
“Day One?” Kirito asked.  
  
“Start with what he told you all during the Tutorial.” Kikuoka said.  
  
“The Tutorial?” Kirito nodded, “Alright, I’ll start there…”

* * *

  
  
**Chiyoda: Imperial Residence**  
  
Naruhito, Emperor Reiwa, turned to his companion, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. “So, We believe that the Youma attack that happened needs to be discussed.” He said. “And how the matter of those who fought them in front of Our residence is to be resolved.”  
  
“Indeed, _Heika-sama_.” Shinzo agreed. “I hear that they may be a private militia. I have already made enquiries and got a response by Director Sakurada of the Metropolitan Police. She was aware of them and gave the order to monitor, but not interfere, so long as they were only involved in fighting the Youma.”  
  
“Has it been determined who among them is in charge?” The Emperor asked thoughtfully, very carefully phrasing his question so that it wouldn’t be taken as an order. He only had one absolute order, best not use it on something frivolous.  
  
“I’ll have my own people look into it for me, as I am also curious.” Shinzo said. “We have been able to positively identify that, for the most part, they are SAO Survivors, so perhaps having Kikuoka-kun look into it is in order. And perhaps we can get information on the rumors that a number of Youma were taken prisoner by them.” He paused. “Some of my enquiries have also indicated that they received outside assistance.”  
  
“Outside assistance?”  
  
“Two of those who participated in the battle right outside the Kokyo’s gates are clearly of… foreign origins. Not to mention that we have recovered... no actual weapons of equipment, but fragments of such that are puzzling our scientists. Nothing that they can’t determine, but those fragments, metallic shards and shavings really, are of an…” He thought for a moment. “An alloy they have never seen, but has similarities to a known alloy that the making of has been lost.”  
  
“Is it possible to determine where they are?”  
  
“That, thankfully, we know,” The Prime Minister said. “They are currently staying at the Hikawa Shrine, in the Azabu-Juban District of the Minato Ward. The priest of that shrine also participated in the battle, by reinforcing the wards that have been placed on the grounds during the Meiji Era.”  
  
“And what shall be done with them?”  
  
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still making determinations on that matter,” The Prime Minister said. “On one hand, they are here in Japan illegally. On the other hand, they have been actively involved in Japan’s defense. Those same two youths have been seen fighting the Youma and they were at the battle defending a school from a Youma attack. One of them permanently ended the threat one of the commanders of the Youma posed.”  
  
The Emperor nodded.

* * *

  
  
**Kawagoe: Kirigaya Residence**  
  
Kirito groaned as Asuna helped him out of the car. He was still very stiff and he wasn’t looking forward to returning to his room anyway. Asuna had had plenty of time to set up his punishment for nearly dying on her again.  
  
He didn’t have any doubts that it included swapping out his wardrobe. Why did his fiancee have to be such a Troll? Normally, he wouldn’t mind, especially if she let him help. But it was never fun when _he_ was the target. He couldn’t even turn it back on her because Asuna-hime found his acting to be… arousing.  
  
“Welcome home, Kirito-kun,” Asuna said. “Are you ready to get back to school?”  
  
“I would be… if I wasn’t certain that was part of my punishment.” Kirito snarked at her. “Healer Hakonia is terrifying. I didn’t even need to understand the other languages of the Empire to know that she was calling me an idiot teenager.”  
  
Asuna smiled sunnily, “But you aren’t going to do that to me again, are you?”  
  
“Not unless my hand is forced, and you _know_ that.” Kirito replied.  
  
“Good.” Asuna gently guided him into the house and up the stairs. “I’m much happier now that you are here, where you belong.”  
  
“Yeah…” Kirito said. “And I can’t wait to see what kind of state my closet is in…” He grumbled with a grimace as they came to his bedroom door.  
  
Asuna turned, giving him a wide eyed innocent look that he didn’t believe for an instant.  
  
“I _know_ you, Asuna-hime.” Kirito said flatly. “You’ve had plenty of time to hide the clothes I normally wear. And to switch it with what you are going to _make_ me wear for the rest of the year.”  
  
“But it’s only for the last week…” Asuna pouted.  
  
“Notice that I’m not asking where you put my regular clothes.” Kirito said. “Dressing in woman’s clothes may be humiliating, but I also know that you aren’t going to make me look bad.”  
  
Asuna gave him a sunny smile. “You’ll let me help you with your flexibility, right?”  
  
Kirito blushed. “You know we can’t do _that_ outside VR!”  
  
“Whoever said anything about sex?” Asuna asked with a playful grin. She leaned in and kissed him gently.  
  
Kirito relaxed. “You are such a perv.” He said quietly as he let Asuna pull him into his bedroom.  
  
“You are just as bad and you know it.” Asuna countered.  
  
“Are you saying that’s a bad thing, Your Highness?” Kirito asked with a playful smirk.  
  
Asuna smacked his shoulder lightly. “Don’t you go putting words in my mouth!”  
  
Kirito chuckled painfully. “Who me?”  
  
Asuna rolled her eyes as she pulled the door open and pulled him inside. “You should check your closet while I get you a towel and start your bath.”  
  
“That sounds wonderful.” Kirito gave her a smile as he headed for his closet and slid the door open. As he expected, it was full of the girl’s uniform, in his size, with the skirt modified so that it would fall to the right place. With a sigh, Kirito hung his head. No one was going to let him live this down.

* * *

  
  
**July 2025 Shintokyo: SAO Survivor School**  
  
Asuna’s eyes went wide when she noticed the car waiting at the gates. “I wonder who they are picking up.” She mused to Kirito.  
  
“It’s you they are waiting for, Asuna-hime.” Kirito replied. “I made arrangements with your father this morning.”  
  
Asuna’s head snapped in his direction, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. “You… but why would you do that?”  
  
Kirito closed his eyes. “You know why.” He said turning to meet her eyes. “We put this off because we had to fight. Now that the war is over, there is no reason to allow this unhealthy codependence to continue.”  
  
“But… the nightmares…” Asuna grimaced.  
  
“I know, I’m not looking forward to the constant nightmares either.” Kirito gently pulled on a lock of her hair. “But we can afford a few sleepless nights now that the fighting is over.”  
  
Asuna’s cheeks puffed out, full of air for a moment before she let them deflate. “I know…” She said, “But I don’t want…” Asuna shook her head. “You are right, we need to do this. The Therapist your brother finally found wasn’t happy that we hadn’t put some distance between us sooner, though, once we explained why it was needed he understood.”  
  
“I’ll see you later then.” Kirito said, kissing his fiancée goodbye before untangling his arm from hers and heading to where he’d parked his bike that morning.  
  
“I’m sure I will.” Asuna said, following him with her eyes for a moment before heading for the car that was waiting for her.

* * *

  
  
**Setagaya: Dicey Cafe**  
  
“Thank you for coming.” Asuna said with a smile as Minako held the door for Rei and they sat down across from her.  
  
“So, what did you call us here for?” Minako asked.  
  
“As you know, it took me two different tries to purify Kayaba-san completely.” Asuna started.  
  
“Which you really should not have done.” Minako reminded her.  
  
“I know, I know.” Asuna sent Minako a glare that had no heat in it. “But I wasn’t about to not do it! You didn’t see Kirito-kun’s reaction. So, after that, I decided that I was simply going to restore the memories of the other two, Sanna and Selja have been Youma for even longer than my Consort’s mother. And since I could _barely_ purify her on my own, I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete the job.”  
  
“So you settled for their memories.” Rei said.  
  
Asuna nodded, “Exactly. I didn’t come to you about this sooner, because I felt that our attention was best served ending the war first.” She explained, “And then we would have time to let ourselves be exhausted from purifying a pair of Youma.”  
  
Rei and Minako shared a glance. “That still wasn’t a very smart thing to do, Hime.” Rei finally said.  
  
“Maybe, but I wasn’t about to let that Sword Wraith keep her slaves.” Asuna said coldly.  
  
“I am only condemning you for not asking for help.” Rei explained herself, “Not that you restored their memories.”  
  
Sanna and Selja watched the three argue in Japanese for a few moments, both of them rolling their eyes.  
  
“Can you just Purify us already, _please?_ ” Sanna asked.  
  
Asuna turned and gave them both a nod. She pulled Wind Fleuret out of Storage and held it out. “If the two of you will grasp the scabbard, we will get started.” She said as Minako and Rei lay a hand on her shoulders.


End file.
